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An Indian Mascot Wins Again
By David A. Yeagley
6-28-2002
A first class pencil drawing of a Crow Indian chief in a war bonnet just won first place in the 2002 Congressional Art Competition in Washington, DC. The national high school competition was won by a young Crow Indian artist. And this comes just after California’s recent attempt to remove all Indian images from public schools!
Obviously, something’s amiss here. In the art gallery or the museum, Indian images are top attractions. The Indian, as a historical, cultural souvenir, authenticates the museum. But in a modern school, or on the athletic field, Leftists are making Indian images a crime, as though Indians must not be part of the modern culture, at least, not our warrior image.
But Leon Sylvester Takes Horse, the 16 year-old junior of Plenty Coups High School (in Pryor, Montana) really values the historical Crow warrior image. “I wanted to challenge myself in drawing the war bonnet,” he said to the Billings Gazette (June 26). “It represents the chiefs in our Crow culture. The feathers of the war bonnet are important to me because they represent accomplishments and I want to accomplish much in my life.”
I wonder what the son of Franklin Takes Horse and Avalon Turns Plenty thinks about Indian warrior mascots or Indian warrior models for athletes, or military personnel. What does he think about the Boy Scouts’ use of Indian ways as social, spiritual ideals, or the YMCA’s traditional regard for the Indian?
When Takes Horse was honored in Washington (Tuesday, June 25), U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) was at the award ceremony to acknowledge him and his work. “War Bonnet is a remarkable portrayal of this young man’s talent that not only stirs the individual, but speaks to us all,” Rehberg remarked. “Leon’s work reminds us that our cultural heritage runs deep and is an extraordinary source of pride, inspiration, and motivation.”
Wait. We Indians are part of America’s cultural heritage, like England, France, Mexico, China, Japan, Ethiopia, Somalia, the Congo, Arabia, and anyone else who wants to claim a piece of the pie? Nice try, Rep. Rehberg, but you didn’t inherit Indians. You conquered us. And we didn’t come here to beg and demand rights. You came here. So jerk the Leftist jargon out of your rhetoric.
Now, what about this pride, inspiration, and motivation from the Indian war bonnet? Well, as long as none of that is associated with athletics, schools, and universities, it might slip by the anti-mascot Leftists. Why, you can be a motivated activist, inspired and determined, as long as you don’t apply yourself to anything masculine or muscular, or anything that’s too physically strenuous. You mustn’t defend yourself against your violent enemy. He might get hurt.
But it’s okay to paint or sculpt an Indian with a bow or tomahawk. I haven’t read of any Leftists reprimanding the use of Indian warrior images in art. (Even white women paint Indian warriors, with political impunity, like Bev Doolittle.)
Rehberg says Leon’s “War Bonnet” motivates us all. Well, what motivated the Crow warrior? What did the warrior “accomplish?” Why is the war bonnet inspirational to young Leon Takes Horse, or to anyone?
The war bonnet bespeaks bravery, courage, and love of one’s people at all costs. These are accomplishments of character, and that’s what we’re really talking about when we talk about a true warrior. Yes, it takes a warrior to be honest, sometimes. America could use some warriors, especially in Washington.
All the art entries in the Congressional Art Competition were judged on “originality, creativity, visual impact, expression of idea or theme, and use of technique in medium.” It seems clear that Takes Horse, as an artist, won on his technique. There’s certainly nothing original about his subject, nothing creative or unusual about its choice. Its visual impact is inherent, and the theme is the warrior’s theme, which always speaks for itself. That leaves only Leon’s technique. The rest is simply the power of the Indian warrior image.
So, I’m encouraged and discouraged at the same time. I’m encouraged that the Indian warrior image still holds enough power to win a national art competition in such a politically suffocating place like Washington, DC. I’m discouraged that the same city generated such a dubious declaration as the Commission on Civil Rights did (April 16, 2001) when it announced “the use of Native American images and nicknames in schools is insensitive and should be avoided.”
Together, the Commission and the Congressional Art Competition relegate the Indian to a souvenir.
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