Use of Braves honors Ottawa tribe, visitor says
Ottawa ? Ottawa University’s use of the Braves mascot is under fire from a national American Indian organization, but a scholar who visited the university Tuesday said he saw nothing wrong with the mascot.
Dinesh D’Souza said he thought the choice was a way to honor the Ottawa tribe that donated land for the university.
“From the beginning, Indians were shown as admirable,” Dinesh D’Souza said. “We show them as courageous âÂÂ:quot; it’s a quality that is seen as positive.”
D’Souza, an author and Stanford University Fellow, was at Ottawa University to deliver the first Presidential Lecture, a biannual series established this fall. He was invited after appearing with the university’s president, John Neal, on an MSNBC program discussing American Indians as mascots.
D’Souza, who was born in India, said opponents of American Indian mascots often didn’t have a logical reason for their position.
“They don’t bother to persuade,” he said. “They just say, âÂÂ’I’m offended.'”
And that, he said, shouldn’t be enough for teams to switch mascots.
“Does the National Italian Council get to say whether âÂÂ’The Sopranos’ can be shown on HBO?” he said.
The Minnesota-based American Indian Movement has targeted the university as one of five schools it hoped to convince to change mascots. Vernon Bellecourt, the organization’s president, said Tuesday that he planned to ask Ottawa officials to have a forum on American Indian mascots.
“Those that know the real history of Ottawa University know it was a big land rip off of the Ottawas,” Bellecourt said in a phone interview. “While they think they’re honoring us, the fact is that they’re disgracing us. If they really respect the Ottawas, it’s time to come up with a new name, new mascot and a winning spirit.”
Neal said university officials periodically review their use of the Brave mascot but have no plans for changing.
“We’re not doing it in a flippant way,” he said. “We try to honor the Ottawa heritage.”
Neal said Ottawa tribe members, whom he meets with periodically, still want the mascot to be the Braves. Ottawa provides free tuition to Ottawa tribe members.
He noted the only costume used by the university is a formal Ottawa tribe outfit and is often worn by an Ottawa tribe member.
“As long as the Ottawa tribe wants us to be the Braves, we’ll be the Braves,” he said.