Presentation Script

Presentation Script- AHVS 489 Opening Slide w Title Hello, my name is Gemma and I am going to present my project titled “Chicago Blackhawks and indigenous imagery in sports.” I have selected this topic as I am an avid sports fan, specifically a hockey fan and I want to see the sport become the best and most inclusive environment it can be. Shift Slide- Critical Theory I have chosen a few key theoretical frameworks for my inquiry into the logo. This includes iconography, psychological analysis, and critical race theory. Iconography will be employed in order to better understand the formal choices of the logo. This will work in context with psychological analysis to develop theories as to why the logo is an effective community identify image that has maintained popularity till today. Critical Race theory will be especially important as the main goal of my project will be around the questions of indigenous imagery being used to promote sports branding and whether removal is necessary. To answer these inquiries, critical race theory will be used to understand the cultural sensitivities specific to the local indigenous communities effected by the logo. Shift Slide-Big Logo Here we can see the Chicago Blackhawks logo. It was created in 1926, when owner Frederic McLaughlin bid on and won an NHL team. McLaughlin alongside the ownership group chose the name Blackhawks as a nod to McLuaghlins World War One military unit, the 333rd Machine Gun Battalion in the US army, which referred to the selves as the “black hawks” after the indigenous leader Black Hawk. Black Hawk was a military leader of the Indian Sauk tribe who participated in the war of 1812, siding with the British empire over the United states. He also led military actions against the US in 1832 and was a prominent Indigenous figure throughout the Chicago area. The logo was also selected by McLaughlin and was inspired by an image he saw at his local polo club. Shift Slide- Boqvist and Dach Here is a current image of the uniform in full. In the NHL you employ two primary jersey’s ones an “away” as seen here, and is a white based jersey, and the other is a “home” which is a “dark” jersey. Both Blackhawks jerseys share the same logo and side patches. Shift Slide- Through Time Here we can see the transformation of the logo over time. It has maintained a few key features, such as the profile of an indigenous man, identified by the hair dress, face paint, skin color, hair color, and face shape. The logo has gone through some changes, dropping the red skin color, and the circle crest around the face. However, it still largely holds true to the original image. Shift Slide- Kennedy Quote The logo is widely considered the most iconic in the NHL, having been continuously voted as the best in numerous players, fans, and media polls. The quote here is from sports reporter Ryan Kennedy who supported the fan voted best logo in hockey poll on the website the Hockey News in 2008. The logo is credited as being the most identifiable and unifying of any within the NHL. This bring into question why an image like this would be considered the best in hockey? This can be possibly be answered by the stereotype of the noble savage. This is defined as one of the two common groups Indigenous imagery tends to fall into, the noble and ignoble savages. The noble savage is stereotyped to be a loyal and powerful warrior, respecting modern colonizers as their superiors. This allows the noble savage to be considered the “good Indian,” and therefore an appropriate example of a warrior from a bygone era who is suitable for sports imagery. Shift Slide- Other Logos Regardless, the image of the indigenous men in professional and amateur sports is a pervasive as seen by the eight logos here. Some have undergone changes such as the Atlanta braves and the Kansas City chiefs. As seen here, both have shifted away from the use of an Indigenous face and towards indigenous tools, in this case a hammer and arrowhead. Some still utilize the face such as the Frolunda Indians who are hockey team in the SM Liiga, based in Frolunda, Finland. Their logo has never been since their formation. The Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL and the Arizona Coyotes of the NHL are two of many teams who employ local indigenous art style in their logos. This is a popular subset of the indigenous face or tool in sports logos. Not all of these teams are sticking with indigenous names and imagery, however. On the far right we have the logos of the Washington Football team and the Edmonton Football team, who were previously known as the Washington Redskins and the Edmonton Eskimos. The Washington football team owner Dan Snyder was pressured by sponsors, specifically Nike who refused to sell their logo on products for the upcoming 2020 season, forcing them to change. The Edmonton Football team changed their name also after corporate sponsors issued ultimatums, in this case it was Canadian insurance company Belairdirect. Shift Slide- Reclamation part one Unlike the Washington Football team and the Edmonton Football team there is no plan to change the Blackhawks logo. The logo is still quite controversial amongst local indigenous leaders. An example of this is Julia Kelly, a cultural advisor for the Trickster Cultural Centre in Schaumburg, Illinois and is a member of the Apsaalooke Nation. She is an avid Blackhawks fan and wears the logo with pride, suggesting that it is an effective way of bringing attention to the local indigenous peoples. This is a similar sentiment shared by Indigenous artist Mike Ivall, who likes the logo but has suggested some changes. This is seen here with the removal of the indigenous face, replaced with a Black hawk, as seen here. He is quoted as saying “I Know how some natives are a little against the native imagery… so I thought, ‘Lets just try something out’” Shift Slide- Reclamation part two Counterpoint to these opinions is Heather Miller, a member of the Wyandotte Nation and the director of the American Indian Centre in Chicago who said “It bugs the baloney out of me. I’ve got to look at something that’s pretty offensive when I go to hockey games because I absolutely love it (hockey.)” (it being hockey) Miller stands firmly against the logo, siding with the National Congress of American Indians, also known as the NCAI. The NCAI has officially endorsed the removal of all indigenous imagery from sports since 1968. They argue the logo contributes to a disregard for the personhood of native peoples. Shift Slide- Artwork Activism The Blackhawks logo specifically has been in dialogue with local indigenous people through artwork as seen here. This picture depicts the work “Burial Mound” as done by artist Santiago X in 2019. Santiago X is a member of the Coushatte tribe of Louisiana and Chamorro people of Guam, and currently resides in Chicago. He has used the Chicago Blackhawks logo in many of his artworks with hopes of providing a commentary into the use of indigenous imagery in sports. “Burial Mound” is a recreation of the traditional burial mounds that used to occupy the land that Chicago now resides. Burial mounds were traditional sites used to mark the land for religious and practical purposes. Many were destroyed and removed by colonial settlers. Shift Slide Zhigaagoong (SHE-Ga-GOO) The image depicted here is an example of the logo being highlighted in protests from October 12th 2020. This statue resides just outside of the United Centre where the Chicago Blackhawks play. Spray painted on it where the words “Land Back” No Racists Mascot” and “zhigaagoong,” which refers to the land around Chicago. Orange paint was thrown on the face of the logo. Protests like this clearly indicate that the logo is controversial at best with local indigenous peoples. That is a reason why a shift in the logos use may be necessary. The image’s removal would allow for a creation of space in hockey for indigenous fans to occupy without being identified as a logo. This would also help dismantle stereotypes whilst providing the necessary conversation around indigenous people in hockey on a wider scale. This could also potentially provide further dialogue into inclusivity in hockey, something which has been debated hotly in recent months as a result of on-going Black Lives Matter Protests. Shift Slide- Change and Transition Whilst I was developing this project some developments occurred. The Chicago Blackhawks posted to their social media a link to a website that details initiatives of inclusion and connection to the local indigenous community. This includes spotlighting local artists, land acknowledgments, the story of Black Hawk, and general information about the indigenous people of the Chicago area. This was not the only change, as the NHL released a league wide reverse-retro third jersey for the upcoming season. This is pictured here. The Chicago Blackhawks Jersey was the only jersey released that was exclusively shown from the back, keeping the main logo from view. The retro logo only appeared in full a few days later, on the Chicago Blackhawks team store’s twitter. This has led to speculation that Adidas was not keen on showing the logo, which may point to sponsors pulling financial support for the team in much the same way they did with the Washington football team and the Edmonton football team. Another brand which has shown reluctancy towards the Blackhawks image and name was CBC who chose to refer to them as “Chicago NHL team” in a recent article.

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