While I attended FSU, a group of us re-established the Native American Indian Association, and we lobbied to have it become an agency at the university. The reason we did this was that there was no agency, office, anything, to support American Indian students at FSU. There are no faculty or staff who are enrolled members of federally recognized tribes. They do not recruit Indian students. So, a university that claims to have a proud "indian" heritage does nothing to foster and encourage the Indians who attend their college.
FSU has never, ever recieved permission from any of the Seminole tribes, including the Florida Seminole tribe that is recognized by the US, to use their name as a mascot. (They also do not pay the FL Seminole tribe, or the OK tribe for that matter, a dime for the use of the name either) They do not see how this negatively impacts the Indian students that go to school there. If you tell anyone you went to FSU, usually they will say, oh so you are a Seminole? And I say, no I am Cherokee. One time, an old lady who was working at a gas station saw my hat that had Florida State on it, and asked if I was a Seminole and I just said no (cuz I am not) and she said, well that is just as well cuz I am a Gator fan and we like to kill them Indians. (nice huh?)
This issue is not silly, and it does affect everyone, not just Indian people. It presents a complete distortion of history, all in the name of sports. It is an absolute shame that we have educational institutions perpetuating this miseducation. It is important for all people...Indian, black white whatever, to learn the history of our nation. If the only education that the future leaders of this country ever get about Indians is what they see at Doak Campbell Stadium, how will they ever be able to deal with the bigger issues in Indian country such as land and mineral rights, racism, treaty rights, gaming, etc etc?
I learned more about political manuevering in two years that I led that student organization than I ever dreamed possible. I think the defining moment that made me start really speaking out about the mascot was at a game...watching the Clemson tigers doing their silliness with the crowd...and seeing the stupid white boy who had his face painted red sitting on a horse pretending to be one of the greatest southeastern Indian heros there is.....all for a football game. Fake silly tigers and Oceola.....it was sad.
You have to know your past. The mascots create an reality where it is impossible to know the truth about our past. I am against them.
This website has alot of good info:
http://www.aimovement.org/ncrsm/