Activists appreciate Wahoo dialogue, but seek action

THERE IS now a glimmer of hope, brought on by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, that these will be the final days of Chief Wahoo.

But after so many years of having their complaints about the racist Cleveland Indians mascot ignored, Native Americans are approaching only with cautious optimism. On Thursday, Robert Holden, deputy director of the National Congress of American Indians, said he “very much appreciates” Manfred, who has promised to discuss the future of redfaced Chief Wahoo with Indians ownership this offseason.

But Holden knows this is only the start of the process to get rid of the Indians mascot, one of several sports mascots that continue to present society with caricatures of Native American society.

“The fact that it will be on the table, we would hope that there would be some meaningful discussions taking place on this issue, which needs to happen,” Holden told the News. “But certainly, I can’t say, ‘Oh, hooray, hooray.’ The conversation may take place. They’re discussing about discussing.

“We would hope this goes forward,” he added. “And he (Manfred) would stick to his statement to discuss the egregious and malevolent mascot and logo.”

Manfred indicated Wednesday that he plans to speak to Paul Dolan but did not indicate that he would push for the logo or team name to be changed.

Essentially, Manfred played the card of political correctness, promising more meaningless “conversation” but quietly indicating that he’d do nothing to force Dolan’s hand. He made no mention of including a Native American advocacy group in those discussions, either, and went to great pains to essentially stroke Cleveland fandom on the issue.

“I know that that particular logo is offensive to some people, and all of us at Major League Baseball understand why,” he said. “Logos are, however, primarily a local matter. The local club makes decisions about its logos. Fans get attached to logos . . . So it’s not easy as coming to the conclusion and realizing that the logo is offensive to some segment.”

That doesn’t bode well for Native Americans, especially since Cleveland remains attached to Chief Wahoo and the franchise keeps selling his gear. Cleveland fans have donned plenty of Chief Wahoo apparel during the World Series this week, and while some claim to understand the frustrations expressed by the Native American community, most have neither intention nor interest in seeing their beloved logo and name changed.

Indians fan Robert Searles, 25, said he understood that “there are people out there that have a sensitivity to it and it’s offensive to them, so you have to be fair to those people.” But he had no problem wearing his Chief Wahoo cap, and hopes to continue to do so.

“In my opinion, they (the Indians franchise) do a good job of honoring it as opposed to defaming it,” he said. “Personally, I would like to see it stay. I think this version is more of a cartoon caricature than the older version . . . If it offends people, I feel bad, but I would like it to stay.”

That’s long been the sentiment in Cleveland, which is why the logo persists after more than three decades of Native American protest. But it should not be an excuse, said Johnnie Jae, a board member at Not Your Mascot, a three-year-old nonprofit dedicated to ending the misappropriation of indigenous identity.

“How do you honor what you don’t know, collaborate with or even really associate with?” said Jae, who is from the Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw tribes. “When they try to prop this up that it’s tradition, well, it’s tradition that mocks natives. And it’s one that we do need to move forward from. A lot of people don’t realize that we’re a very diverse people; we’re portrayed as a monolith.”