Our Positions
Below you will see a number of social justice initiatives and topics of educational importance for which MCNAA has developed position statements. This page will be updated when we receive requests for our stance on particular current situations and as the years move forward and Indigenous issues come more and more to the foreground of people’s minds. Please check back to see what other initiatives we have engaged in and added to the page.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day
The Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness (MCNAA) recognizes that indigenous inventions; words and language; farming techniques and other technology; cuisine and new foods, cooking techniques, etc. were introduced to the world through “contact.” We acknowledge that this exchange and introduction to Europe and the rest of the world was primarily facilitated by one contact in particular. Every year, there is a national holiday commemorating the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the shores of the North American continent. Given that awareness of Indigenous First Nations People history, culture, and contributions is almost invisible in American society and school curriculum, AND that available historical evidence shows the atrocities Columbus committed to indigenous people, we, the MCNAA, support the observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and the abolishment of Columbus Day.
Native American Mascots
The Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness, Inc., (MCNAA) finds the use of mascots and accompanying stereotypical behavior to be an offensive and derogatory practice that belittles the culture and religion of Native Americans. Mascots dehumanize and objectify Native Americans reaffirming the belief that Native people no longer exist or that they exist only in the media or as caricatures. Stereotyping of this nature is harmful on many levels not only to Native people but also to those who allow the stereotype to shape their view.
MCNAA supports the 2001 statement of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights that deemed the use of Native mascots “inappropriate, insensitive, disrespectful and offensive and calls for an immediate cessation of the use of Native American mascots. MCNAA does not condone stereotyping, bias, discrimination or prejudice against any racial, ethnic or religious group.
Massachusetts State Flag and Seal
As an organization located in Massachusetts that promotes understanding of Indigenous issues through cultural sharing and education, the process often reveals truths that challenge our “common knowledge.” We want to take this opportunity to address one of the local “Indigenous agenda issues” which is named “Change the State Flag and Seal.”
In its current incarnation, the state seal has a Native man holding a downward arrow and wearing clothing from several different nations with words “Come Over and Help Us.” An English sword, modeled on a brand used by settler-colonist Myles Standish, hangs over the head of the Indigenous man. The man’s bow is from an Indigenous scout, the red flannel belt is based on Metacom’s regalia displayed in the Peabody Museum, the face is from a photograph of Thomas Little Shell who was a Chippewa Chief from the land now known as Montana, and the body proportions are based on a Native American skeleton. This image is not accurate in clothing or body proportions and its words are inappropriate for a people who actually “helped” the settler-colonists, more than them helping anyone who was living on their own land. The image is symbolic of murder of Indigenous People. It is stereotypical and confounds nations and their regalia. It objectifies Indigenous People. It represents grave robbing and stealing of sacred objects. It highlights white, male colonial commanders and not Indigenous leaders who fought for protection of their land and culture. We find it to be demeaning.
We ask for the redesign of the Massachusetts state flag and seal image to be more inclusive and representative of current Massachusetts Indigenous people and to not represent historical atrocities. We believe the truth about the historical relationships between Massachusetts Native Americans and settler-colonists needs to be stated and taught, but not through this symbol of our current commonwealth.
Hannah Duston Statue – Haverhill, Mass.
The Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness (MCNAA) supports the efforts of Haverhill residents, local leaders, legislative representatives, and any others who recommend removing the statue of Hannah Duston in Haverhill, Massachusetts. MCNAA believes that this statue is harmful to the community due to its perpetuation of racist stereotypes and beliefs and its presence as a symbol that continues to illustrate the structural racism that has been a foundation of the United States since its inception.
As many are learning from the complicated history of the United States, symbols such as this statue were originally erected for political purposes that most would agree are “horrifying” today, but about which most people are unaware. The Hannah Duston statue seems to fit this narrative as there are two accounts of Hannah Duston’s "story" and her statue(s). One in New Hampshire depicts her holding a hatchet and "scalps." The other one in Haverhill shows only her menacingly wielding a hatchet/Tomahawk and pointing downward toward the "Native captors” she killed and scalped (this included 6 children and 1 woman). Her story is said to be embellished many times and although it supposedly happened in 1697, the statue wasn't erected until 1874.
According to a May 19, 2014 piece by Rob Lammle (Massachusetts' Hannah Duston Memorial) https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/56776/strange-states-massachusetts-hannah-duston-memorial, “Hannah Duston’s story, although virtually ignored throughout the 18th century, became a propaganda tool as the United States began a more concentrated campaign against Native Americans in the 19th century. Her story was often cited as an example of how Native American savagery sometimes forced the hand of otherwise peaceful white settlers, which was used to defend the violent actions of those pressing westward into Indian Territories in the 1800s.” The article goes on to reference “Duston fever” as a symbol of “Manifest Destiny,” quoting “a memorial was commissioned in 1874 in New Hampshire where Duston’s revenge actually took place, making it the first statue built to honor a woman in the United States.”
This statue is a particularly insidious representation of racism against Native Americans and MCNAA believes that it absolutely needs to go. As MCNAA Board Member and Educator Claudia Fox Tree states…“not because Indigenous people think it should go, but because it is a problem for non-Native folks, too.” There is much research showing how important it is for non-natives to eliminate offensive symbols, as they are affected, too. It creates implicit bias by associating "Indians" with "warlike characteristics" and, in the absence of accurate and more information that becomes the only association and then affects future decisions like who to hire, fire, give raises, find guilty in court, etc.
While activists all over the country have worked for years to eliminate offensive and racist representations toward Native Americans, some non-Native people continue to be baffled by such calls, as they believe that these statues and mascots convey positive ideas about Native American people.
Much research shows that Native Americans are both severely underrepresented and routinely stereotyped in mainstream U.S. popular culture (e.g., Leavitt et al. 2015; Chaudhri and Schau 2016), contributing to widespread belief in historical myths about Native Americans and limited awareness and knowledge of contemporary Native people (e.g., Connor, Fryar, and Johnson 2017; Coombe 1998; Lee et al. 2009). Many people learn to define racism as only intentional and overtly negative (Czopp, Kay, and Cheryan 2015), and thus do not realize that stereotypes and corresponding behaviors that are perceived as positive often contribute to inequality (e.g., Czopp, Kay, and Cheryan 2015; Glick et al. 2000; Son and Shelton 2011). We appreciate the work and awareness of those who are bringing attention to this issue and our history and the more than 500 years of colonization and institutionalized suppression of our cultures and voices. We hope that the City of Haverhill will remove this offensive statue, as soon as possible.
Source: Laurel R. Davis-Delano , Joseph P. Gone & Stephanie A. Fryberg (2020). The psychosocial effects of Native American mascots: a comprehensive review of empirical research findings, Race Ethnicity and Education: https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2020.1772221
Native American Identity
There is no substitute for growing up in, giving back to, living with, and knowing the community. The Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness (MCNAA) recognizes multiracial/multicultural heritage, tribal acknowledgment of membership, and federal and state recognition. We strongly encourage active involvement in the Native American community and the passing on of indigenous cultural traditions. We are not an organization which determines one’s tribal membership or Native American identity.
Recent events with individuals claiming indigenous heritage and the rise of DNA testing, as well as tribal responses to claims, have caused MCNAA to clarify its views on identifying as Native American. We affirm that identity is constructed within a social context. Our appearance may or may not match the stereotypical images that are perpetuated in society. As children, we are socialized and taught about our cultures within our families and communities. We also receive feedback from society at large. In many cases, we are affected by and must respond to forms of systemic oppression that range from laws to stereotypes to discrimination. This also forms our identity. MCNAA acknowledges that there are differences between a child learning their identity and an adult learning about their heritage and returning to the Circle. Effects on a child’s brain and worldview may be deeper than on an adult who has more power to make choices and understand their heritage.
Native American culture is made up of traditions, stories, and songs based on plants and animals indigenous to these continents. Our bodies evolved in this climate and our biology responded to these foods and environmental conditions. Our ancestors lived, loved, raised children, defended, and died here. We created small and large civilizations, a range of social structures, unique technology, and many other inventions, beliefs, and ideas which have enriched the world. Attempts to destroy indigenous culture have systematically continued over centuries. It is up to us as a community to ensure the survival of our culture. If it does not happen on the North and South American continents, then it will not happen on any other continent.
Many people grow up hearing about their ancestors, but Native Americans are one of the only ethnicities who are expected to "prove it." While "blood" may be proven through ancestral lineage and/or DNA, there are a complexity of factors that must be considered when embracing one’s “Native American” identity.
Lineage documentation is dependent on the quality and accessibility of statistical data over the past several centuries, the loss and destruction of records, the unavailability of records, the reality of tribal members being absent at the time of a "counting," paper genocide by the controlling governments, etc.
DNA testing is not an exact science when it comes to indigenous people because not enough North and South American people are in the pool. DNA is based on living populations, not ancestral bones, many of which for Native Americans have been bulldozed over or destroyed in other ways. Not surprisingly, Native people are wary of companies and institutions becoming aware of their indigenous status, given the history of “Indian Removal” acts, Boarding Schools, and other genocidal policies. DNA companies are constantly changing and updating their technology, so results are continually shifting for this population. Knowing DNA is not enough to construct an identity. Knowing lineage may be enough to claim an identity, but not enough to construct. MCNAA can provide opportunities to help someone on the journey of understanding and constructing identity.