Racist Image to Farm Owned

Many times when engaging with media, Native Americans are typically depicted with headdresses, uneducated, and still living in teepees. There is hardly any positive modern depiction of Native Americans as well. These portrayals are deeply rooted in harmful stereotypes. Recently, Land O’ Lakes removed the Native American woman from their products, shifting their marking towards farm owned. Native Americans have been advocating for people to stop using Native people as mascots or logos for a while in order to remove these negative and inaccurate portrayals. 

The racism doesn’t stop at butter however, images of Indigenous people are everywhere with logos like the redskins and Native American costumes for Halloween. For example, Menomonee Falls High School is debating over keeping their Indian mascot. A lot of people argue that it is racist while others claim pride for the mascot.

Instances like these tie into the pervasive negative images of Native Americans that have been normalized, essentially. In a study done by the Center for American Progress, they reported that these predominant portrayals can lead to decreased self-esteem and worth. Essentially, it diminishes their self-identity. They compared using racial slurs like “Redskin” as bullying and encourages equal treatment for Native Americans. Indigenous people face racism every day and Land O’ Lakes help the country take a step in the right direction in the equal treatment of Native Americans. However, America still has a long way to go in order to accurately portray and honor Native American People.

Course Content Citation: Leavitt, Peter A., Rebecca Covarrubius, Yvonne A Perez, and Stephanie A. Fryberg. 2015. "'Frozen In Time': The Impact of Native American Media Representations on Identity and Self-Understanding." Journal of Social Issues 71(1): 39-53.