AA Gent criticised for 'Indian' mascot

The Native American rights activist Suzan Shown Harjo last week told De Standaard that Belgian football club AA Gent should do away with its 'Indian chief' mascot because it portrays a degrading image of Native Americans. The Belgian Air Force also uses a similar logo since 1938, adds De Standaard today.

AA Gent’s logo, depicting a Native American chieftain in headdress, dates back to 1924 and is a reference to Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, which performed in the city in 1895. Native American civil rights groups have long protested against the use of such 'warrior Indian' mascots by numerous organisations in the United States, especially sports teams.

Club AA Gent is not the only Belgian establishment to use the logo. An almost identical picture is the emblem of the 15th Wing of the Belgian Air Force. All governmental and VIP aircraft in Belgium are therefore adorned with the Sioux chief image, including those aircraft used by King Philippe and members of the government. The Air Force, however, much like AA Gent, claims its intentions were anything but derogatory, let alone racist.

But according to the American activist in De Standaard, Native Americans still perceive the image as stigmatizing, as it reflects negative prejudices and calls to mind painful memories of a tragic past.