American Indian Activist Dies

Vernon Bellecourt, a longtime leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM) who opposed the use of Indian nicknames in sports, died of complications from pneumonia Saturday. He was 75.

Bellecourt's brother, Clyde, was a founding member of AIM in 1968. Vernon soon became an active member and spokesman, participating in the 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota.

In his later years, Vernon Bellecourt was actively opposed to Indian nicknames in sports. Ten years ago, he was arrested in Cleveland during protests against the Indians' mascot, Chief Wahoo, when the Indians appeared in the World Series. Charges against him were dropped.

Bellecourt's death is a timely reminder of that protest, since the Cleveland Indians are appearing in the American League Championship Series again this year.

The protest did bear some fruit for advocates of Native Americans who opposed the use of Indian nicknames in sports. Many schools have changed their nicknames -- but many have not. And none of the professional teams, such as the Cleveland Indians, the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Redskins, have changed their nicknames.

Bellecourt's point about stereotype nicknames was well taken, but Native Americans weren't the only group to be so maligned. For example, the nickname for Notre Dame's athletic teams -- the Fightin' Irish -- perpetuates the image of drunken, brawling Irishmen.

And, in some cases, the slur is doubtful. Vancouver's NHL team is known as the "Canucks." Canuck is a slang term that was probably intended to describe French Canadians, but apparently it evolved to become a term used for Canadians in general. It is considered an offensive term by some Americans, but reportedly it is not considered offensive by most Canadians.

The Vancouver nickname is probably a good analogy to illustrate how some Native Americans probably aren't offended by some of the nicknames that Bellecourt and his followers opposed -- such as "Warriors" or "Braves."

And some of those nicknames clearly have historical significance -- such as Florida State's use of "Seminoles" as a team nickname.

Sometimes, though, the historical angle of a team's nickname isn't positive -- i.e., the use of "Sooners" as Oklahoma's nickname. In reality, the "Sooners" were 19th century criminals, illegally settling on lands in the Oklahoma territory before President Benjamin Harrison declared them available for settling. Not all of the Sooners seized their lands illegally, but most of them did.

Still, Native Americans are the ones who most often are maligned by derogatory team nicknames, and Bellecourt's point raised our collective consciousness. We should be grateful to him for that.

You can read his obituary at the Star-Tribune's website.