Autumn is alluring. The leaves change and tumble to the earth; the insufferable heat of summer gives way to biting winds and long nights of cocoa and the comforts of a warm hearth. But it’s also a brutal time. It’s a time when Native Americans are lambasted with the ignorance and arrogance of sports fanatics; when wiggy college students dress up in ‘Pocahottie’ costumes; and when parades to a thieving murderer step off across the country. That said, here are five reasons why pop culture in the fall, and then winter, is rough on Native Americans:

NFL Season

AFP

Ah, yes. This is the time of year when fans of the Washington football team and the Kansas City Chiefs, specifically, don faux Native American headdresses, chant god-awful nonsense in the stands, and even paint their faces red, all whilst quaffing beer and sucking down day-old dogs.

For decades, Native Americans have rallied against this ignorance and arrogance; for a time, our collective voice fell on deaf ears. But, now, the momentum builds. People everywhere are beginning to recognize the inherent discrimination in such harmful behavior. Yep, autumn – the launch of the NFL season – is a test of Native American patience, eloquence and fortitude.

Columbus Day

AFP

He murdered. He maimed. Yet Columbus Day is still a federally recognized holiday. Many have argued the day is a celebration of Italian American heritage, to which Native Americans respond: We are not opposed to Italian American pride. We are opposed to a federal holiday named for a murdering thief.

Jon Oliver, the host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight recently addressed the ridiculousness of this holiday in his segment, “How Is This Still a Thing?”

How is this still a thing? Knowing all that we do about whom Columbus was, what he did and the consequences of his invasion, why are Native Americans and our allies still subject to such blind sloganeering? Let’s hope more cities and then the country will follow the example of Seattle.

Halloween

AFP

And then there are the “Pocahottie” costumes, which are the hypersexualization of Native American women. It’s important, here, to comprehend why we rage against such diminutive forms of cultural misappropriation.

In the U.S., Native American women are 2.5 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than women of any other racial minority. And then people have the audacity to say we’re being too politically correct for not allowing them to “just have a good time.” Ridiculous. Also, men who wear faux feather headdresses at sporting events pull the ghastly thing out of the closet for a cheap and quick alternative to buying a decent costume – emphasis on ‘decent’ here. If you’re going to be cheap just get a bedsheet and play Caesar! But, please tell your friends to stop dressing up as Native Americans (even if they think they have some Native American blood in them).

Thanksgiving

This ad was posted by Club Sun Color Studios in 2013. The company has apologized for using offensive imagery.

Yet another celebration of an event as it didn’t happen. Read James W. Loewen’s Lies My Teacher Told Me and you’ll get an idea exactly how this event has been twisted by history. Also, in November, teachers and school administrators dress up little brown kids in paper-glue headdresses and face paint and parade them around the auditorium because it’s allegedly adorable. It’s not. This holiday is mired in blood and brutality, and it’s time for people to recognize what really happened so we all can heal and move on to the next chapter.

Black Friday

Associated Press

Shoppers on Black Friday aka Native American Heritage Day.

November is Native American Heritage Month, and when is Native American Heritage Day? You guessed it – Black Friday.

That means while people are about to gorge themselves on material possessions like they were just more turkey and stuffing, Native Americans are supposed to be happy that at least we get a nod. Well, we’re not, for obvious reasons. And think about it: No kids are in school that day to learn about Native Americans on Native American Heritage Day.

Why not November 1 instead? There’s so much you could teach children on Native American Heritage day – IF IT WEREN’T ON BLACK FRIDAY!