At the beginning of every semester Professor Edouardo Zendejas asks his students what they know about Native Americans. Some students have seen "Dances with Wolves," while others simply say that they are fans of the Kansas City Chiefs.

In a presentation to students of the law school Friday, Zendejas, a BYU Law School graduate and professor of Native American Studies at the University of Nebraska-Omaha said that through the recently organized Honor Indians Institute, he is fighting the ignorance of Native American culture of his students and others around the country.

"My experience has been that people really don't know a lot about Indians," Zendejas said. "A lot of what they profess to know is based on myths and misperceptions."

The Honor Indians Institute works to educate people about the misconceptions of Indian heritage that are perpetuated by the use of Indian mascots for schools and athletic teams.

In Nebraska there are 25 high schools that have Indian mascots. In Utah one of the more famous schools to use an Indian mascot is the University of Utah.

The different schools that Zendejas has spoken with about getting rid of their Indian mascot say that they are honoring Indians by having an Indian mascot.

The "redskins" is used by a football team in Washington State. The term originated years ago when there was a bounty put on Indians and in order to prove that one had been killed, it was required to bring back a red pelt or "red skin" Zendejas said.

This term is not honoring Indians and their heritage, he said.

"You shouldn't force anybody to do anything," Zendejas said. "It's not the plan to force action, not through legislature or litigation, but through education."

Copyright Brigham Young University 25 Mar 2008