ATLANTA _ Bo Taylor doesn't remember the exact year he brought a group of kids down from Cherokee, N.C., for a Braves game, but he remembers the exact moment their demeanor shifted.
Taylor, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and a former archivist and director at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, has always been a Braves fan and grew up watching Dale Murphy. Back in the days of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Taylor and the youngsters were enjoying the game, until another group of fans sat near them and started cheering and making a sound effect by patting hand to mouth.
"About the third inning, these guys showed up," Taylor said. "They were wearing these fake feathers. They had the war paint on. They were drunk. They started doing the (sound effect). These young kids that were so excited, Indian kids, these were all Indian kids, I should say. All these Indian kids were so excited but when they saw that, and saw how they were portrayed, as more of a caricature, they kind of lost themselves. You could see they were somewhat ashamed of who they were. That's what I have a problem with."
For Taylor, if the Braves are going to stay the Braves, it must go hand-in-hand with a long-standing, meaningful relationship with the Native American community, one that fosters an environment of respect and understanding.
The Braves have made some changes to distance themselves from imagery that could be offensive to Native Americans, including removing Chief Noc-A-Homa as mascot. They are now discussing ways to reach out to and honor the Native American community. Friday, Braves chairman Terry McGuirk said that the name Atlanta Braves will stay, but president and CEO Derek Schiller added their position on the tomahawk chop is still unresolved, and conversations on that matter are ongoing.
Within the Native American community, there are strong and varied opinions on the use of the name Braves and associated imagery. Many Native American people, including the National Council of American Indians, have called for the Braves to change both their name and end the use of the chop, asserting the Braves' name and use of the chop perpetuates the "warrior savage" myth. Some take issue with the chop but not necessarily the name in and of itself. Some are not offended by either.
The use of the chop, in particular, has been controversial since the Braves adopted it in the early '90s, and the issue arose again when St. Louis pitcher Ryan Helsley, a member of Cherokee Nation, spoke out against fans' arm motion and chanting before Game 5 of the National League Division Series in October (for that home game, the Braves didn't distribute foam tomahawks to fans, and took measures to reduce the chop by fans).
Recently, the NFL's Washington team announced it will undergo a "thorough review of the team's name" and MLB's Cleveland Indians, who did away with their "Chief Wahoo" mascot in 2019, announced they will "engage (their) community and appropriate stakeholders to determine the best path forward with regard to their team name."
The Braves' 60-game 2020 season, shortened by the coronavirus, is set to begin July 24, and the organization faces questions from many, including those in the Native American community, on how it will proceed. After Helsley's comments, the Braves formed a Native American Working Group, and since then, they have been discussing many issues with its members, including whether or not to keep the tomahawk chop.
To Taylor, the name "Braves" isn't inherently offensive, but the team has a responsibility to use its platform in an educational way. He pointed to the Georgia Swarm lacrosse team, which hosted a Native American Heritage Night in 2018.
"The Atlanta Braves, if they wanted to keep the name, what would be really awesome is if they would embrace people of that culture. ... I think it would be awesome if the Atlanta Braves, if they really wanted to honor Native Americans, make that part of the agenda to educate the people about Native Americans," Taylor said. "If you're going to use our name, our likenesses, our whatever, use that to really educate people and make this a platform."
But the tomahawk chop cheer, Taylor said, is not a historic war cry, and he thinks there must be a better cheer out there for Braves fans to use.
"The nah, nah, nah-nah nah nah, that's ridiculous," Taylor said. "That has no meaning to us. ... As for the chop and all this other stuff, I think they could probably do a better job. I'm more mediocre on that. I think they could find a better way to rally the Braves than the tomahawk chop."
