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NATIVE CULTURES OF THE AMERICAS
SPEAKER: Ben West (Cheyenne) and Yancey Burns, Ciesla Foundation; Micayla Tatum; Phil Deloria
Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting is an award-winning documentary that examines the movement that is ending the use of Native American names, logos, and mascots in the world of sports and beyond. The film details the current uprising against the misappropriation of Native culture in a national reckoning about racial injustice that has succeeded in the removal of Confederate imagery, toppling statues of Christopher Columbus and forcing corporate sponsors of Washington’s NFL team to demand it change its most-offensive name. It examines the origin and proliferation of the words, images, and gestures that many Native people and their allies find offensive. Imagining the Indian explores the impact that stereotyping and marginalization of Native history have had on Native people. It chronicles the long social movement to eliminate mascoting.
Following a screening of the documentary, the filmmakers will discuss the film's themes and implications with Phil Deloria and Micayla Tatum.
To learn more about the film, please visit https://imaginingtheindianfilm.org/.
About the Speakers
Ben West is a freelance writer, producer, director, and consultant with the Ciesla Foundation. He spent many years in television production at Carsey-Werner Mandabach LLC and has worked on feature films for companies like Telenova Productions, and outlets such as the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian. He is currently developing content for television and film. In addition to his endeavors in entertainment, he is Southern Cheyenne and an advocate for Native American rights. West was born and raised in Washington, D.C., and is a graduate of the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Southern California.
Yancey Burns is a 2019 graduate of the George Washington University Documentary Film Center who wrote and directed the award-winning documentary short One Fall, which explores the return of independent professional wrestling to the District of Columbia. Prior to filmmaking, he was a practicing attorney, most recently with the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, where he prosecuted ethical misconduct in the DC government. He also owns and manages his family farm in Lincoln County, West Virginia, which produces 100% grass-fed Hereford beef. Burns holds a BS in Journalism from West Virginia University, a JD from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, and is currently pursuing an MA in Strategic Communication at the GWU School of Media and Public Affairs.
Micayla Tatum is a graduate of Amherst College. During her time at Amherst College, she was a member and, later, president of the Native American Students Organization (now the Native and Indigenous Students Organization). She was an active participant in the movement to change Amherst’s unofficial mascot. Micayla served on the student-alumni mascot committee, wrote op-eds, and organized protests that were all key moments in the long journey to becoming the Amherst College Mammoths.
After college, Micayla pursued a career in education and policy with the goal of creating equitable educational opportunities for all children, starting at birth.
Co-sponsored by the Harvard University Native American Program.