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Native American Guardian’s Association

I had not heard of the Native American Guardian’s Association (NAGA) prior to Google informing me that they were fighting to have the Washington NFL team reinstate the Redskins name. Perusing their website, https://www.nagaeducation.org/, I found their motto, “Educate Not Eradicate,” and their mission statement:

“The Native American Guardian’s Association (NAGA) is a 501c3 non-profit organization advocating for increased education about Native Americans, especially in public educational institutions, and greater recognition of Native American Heritage through the high profile venues of sports and other public platforms.”

Also on the front page was a large photo of the Red Mesa Redskins’ new football field. Red Mesa is a high school on the Navajo reservation.

The History tab states, “NAGA celebrates and promotes the rich history, legacies, and many national contributions of First Nation’s people which have historically been woven into the fabric of American identity.” It is a statement of inclusion and being part of what has been called “The American Experiment.” It is accompanied by a photo of men wearing red garrison caps reminiscent of the ones one often sees American Legion members wear. There’s a good chance many of these men are veterans because American Indians serve in the armed forces at a higher rate than the population at large, particularly during wartime.

This website is information rich, containing a lot more information than I can mention in a blog message. I urge you to peruse the site to see for yourself. Of particular interest is the Top Misconceptions tab. It has links to ten pages, starting with “Redskins is Racist.” Another link discusses polls that show vast numbers of American Indians do not consider Redskins or Redmen to be racist. One link shows that leaders who oppose the name speak only for themselves. The link on the 90% polls explains that the polls were conducted using normal polling methods and have, at least, a 95% confidence level. Some are as high as 98%.

Check out this site to learn more about how people in Indian Country think about things.

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This entry was posted on August 14, 2023 at 9:45 pm and is filed under Carlisle Indian School, Football, Uncategorized, Washington Redskins. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “Native American Guardian’s Association”

  1. Dave Wheelock's avatar Dave Wheelock Says:
    August 14, 2023 at 11:24 pm | Reply

    Thanks, Tom, for your fair-minded introduction.
    -DW, Oneida Nation

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