Take pride in our usage of Chippewa
Central Michigan University represents the Chippewa name with dignity and pride.
Last week this newspaper's editorial board CM-Life’s editorial staff published an editorial, “What’s In A Name?” about Central Michigan University’s usage of the name “Chippewa.”
I’d like to answer that question with some history. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the Chippewa name is an English translation of the word Ojibwa, which comes from the Algonquian word “O’chepe’wag”. O’chepe’wag translates directly to plaited shoes, in reference to the unique style of moccasins worn by the Chippewa tribe, but that is not what is “in the name” Chippewa.
The Chippewa name has been defined over centuries by the actions and traditions of the Tribe. Their stories, their ancestors’ stories and their way of life are all in the name Chippewa. Everything they are, as well as every belief and tradition that they are proud of as a people, is in the name Chippewa.
The editorial board suggests that, “By simply having our sports teams associated with a minority group, we open ourselves to accidental racism,” in reference to Western’s shirts bearing the slogan, “Caught a Chippewa ‘bout a week ago.”
I would first charge that the blatantly racist shirts designed by a Western student were not a case of “accidental racism,” but a demonstration of ignorance and discrimination. The idea that a group should not wish to be displayed for fear of being subjected to racism is not only wrong, it is capitulant to the racists who instill such fears. This truth resonates on a very personal level for me, belonging to a minority myself.
My father, a Jew whose family comes from Poland, grew up in an anti-semitic American neighborhood. I vividly remember being out with him once while wearing my yamika and tzizit, symbols of my religion worn out of respect to God, and receiving looks which made me uncomfortable. He instructed me to “Take them off, so people don’t stare.”
The idea that CMU needs to take off the Chippewa name so people won’t stare or commit acts of racism is wrong in that it is an act of surrender. CMU students represent the Chippewa name, and all that is in it, with pride and passion. Beneath the superficial attention to partying and “Firing Up” is a sense of pride not just in our university, but in the people from whom we take our name.
It is with the explicit permission and support of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe that CMU uses the Chippewa name, and it is our privilege to represent their name and to educate ourselves about the original inhabitants of this area.
CMU makes a tremendous effort to educate people about the Tribe, which benefits the Native Americans and protects them from issues of racism and stereotyping by perpetuating truth and history.
The editorial draws to a close asking, “Calling ourselves Chippewas is not inherently racist, but is it right?” I would contend that as long as Central students continue to represent the Chippewa name with integrity by exuding the values that the Tribe lives by, it is not only right, but responsible of us to show solidarity with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.
