TPI - 2002

Prisons of Image

Charlene Teters

Teters Synopsis

by Myra B. Greene

Charlene Teters is a champion for her Native people. Born to the Spokane Nation and the Lakota tribe, her personal fight started soon after her arrival to graduate school at the University of Illinois. After attending a basketball game in which stereotypical Native American imagery was used for the mascot of the team, her battle was realized. What called her to action was the realization that her children’s heritage was at risk of being misused and co-opted for entertainment purposes.

In her lecture, Teters carefully analyzed the imagery of a variety of sports teams that utilized native imagery for their mascot. Native Americans‚ as portrayed by the KC Chiefs, Atlanta Braves and most notably the Cleveland Indians were violent, angry and aggressive, only noted for their ritual chants. By twisting this image, the teams and their fans ignore a precious history that is being diminished and lost in this country. Teters reminded her listeners that childhood songs like “One Little Indian” were about the killing and lynching of native peoples. She compared the imagery of these mascots to the face of the Sambo, an old cartoon that was created to demean African-American slaves, and showed that the only translation of that image visually was the fact that it was painted red and a feather was added. More importantly though, is the idea that the fans’ interpretation of the image could not be controlled. As a result, one could easily find imitators of native dancers and grown men in red-painted face makeup at tailgating parties.

Teters challenged this imagery both politically and artistically. First, she helped establish protests nation wide asking for sports teams to change their mascot, so that a heritage could be preserved. While many colleges and universities have recognized this argument and changed the mascot, national sports teams have not. As she has heard many times, these images “do no harm to the culture at large.” What is ignored is the affect on young Native Americans.

Through the visual analysis of this imagery, Teters has made a variety of installations and performance pieces that challenge these notions of the Indian stereotype. By creating outside sculptures that remind the viewer of burial grounds and statues, she ponders whether the land and people recognize them as sacred. By collecting the manufactured goods of these sports teams and lightly overlaying them with the images of her friends and family, she questions the viewer to show how this commodified imagery is a myth. Also, by performing in public spaces, including a national history museum, covered only by the products that culture creates about herself, she forces the viewer to ask what a past history and what a present history actually are.


	Prisons of Image Charlene Teters Teters Synopsis by Myra B. Greene Charlene Teters is a champion for her Native people. Born to the Spokane Nation and the Lakota tribe, her personal fight started soon after her arrival to graduate school at the University of Illinois. After attending a basketball game in which stereotypical Native American imagery was used for the mascot of the team, her battle was realized. What called her to action was the realization that her children’s heritage was at risk of being misused and co-opted for entertainment purposes. In her lecture, Teters carefully analyzed the imagery of a variety of sports teams that utilized native imagery for their mascot. Native Americans‚ as portrayed by the KC Chiefs, Atlanta Braves and most notably the Cleveland Indians were violent, angry and aggressive, only noted for their ritual chants. By twisting this image, the teams and their fans ignore a precious history that is being diminished and lost in this country. Teters reminded her listeners that childhood songs like “One Little Indian” were about the killing and lynching of native peoples. She compared the imagery of these mascots to the face of the Sambo, an old cartoon that was created to demean African-American slaves, and showed that the only translation of that image visually was the fact that it was painted red and a feather was added. More importantly though, is the idea that the fans’ interpretation of the image could not be controlled. As a result, one could easily find imitators of native dancers and grown men in red-painted face makeup at tailgating parties. Teters challenged this imagery both politically and artistically. First, she helped establish protests nation wide asking for sports teams to change their mascot, so that a heritage could be preserved. While many colleges and universities have recognized this argument and changed the mascot, national sports teams have not. As she has heard many times, these images “do no harm to the culture at large.” What is ignored is the affect on young Native Americans. Through the visual analysis of this imagery, Teters has made a variety of installations and performance pieces that challenge these notions of the Indian stereotype. By creating outside sculptures that remind the viewer of burial grounds and statues, she ponders whether the land and people recognize them as sacred. By collecting the manufactured goods of these sports teams and lightly overlaying them with the images of her friends and family, she questions the viewer to show how this commodified imagery is a myth. Also, by performing in public spaces, including a national history museum, covered only by the products that culture creates about herself, she forces the viewer to ask what a past history and what a present history actually are.