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Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting

Play trailer Poster for Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting 2023 1h 35m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 22% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
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. As many schools, teams, and institutions choose to make the change and others meet with continued resistance, The Ciesla Foundation invites you to engage with the film and consider the important subjects it addresses.

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Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting

Critics Reviews

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Robert Abele Los Angeles Times 04/14/2023
A necessary strength-in-numbers corrective when battling a pervasively dehumanizing, monolithic depiction of a vast and varied people across all walks of life. Go to Full Review Mark Jenkins Washington Post 04/04/2023
3/4
The documentary could have been shapelier and better focused, but it packs lots of information and even more emotion. Go to Full Review Natalia Winkelman New York Times 03/30/2023
The marriage of talking heads and troubling material from the archives is a familiar documentary format, and “Imagining the Indian” rarely breaks free from the generic quality of its structure. Go to Full Review Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies 02/11/2025
3.5/5
Imagining the Indian brings an important voice to the conversation about Native American mascoting. Go to Full Review Sarah Boslaugh TheArtsStl 02/06/2024
6/10
[Imagining the Indian] explores a rich mine of popular culture, including paintings, comic books, toys, and posters as well as clips from movies, cartoons, and live-action television programs. Go to Full Review William Schwartz Book & Film Globe 05/24/2023
Cherry-picking facts to make an argument seem stronger is never a good look, especially when you can make an even better argument with better context. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting

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Cast & Crew

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Aviva Kempner

Director

Ben West

Director

Aviva Kempner

Producer

Ben West

Producer

Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation

Executive Producer

Michael Moser

Cinematographer

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Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting

Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting (2021) Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting (2021) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis 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. As many schools, teams, and institutions choose to make the change and others meet with continued resistance, The Ciesla Foundation invites you to engage with the film and consider the important subjects it addresses.
Director
Aviva Kempner, Ben West
Producer
Aviva Kempner, Ben West
Distributor
The Ciesla Foundation
Production Co
Ciesla Foundation
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 31, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 6, 2024
Runtime
1h 35m
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