Zuni tribe member says Dan Snyder dismissed his objection to Redskins
Jim Enote, a Zuni tribe member, wrote in an article published Monday that he recently had the opportunity to speak with Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder for 20 minutes, during which he told Snyder that he is not pleased with the Redskins name and mascot.
According to Enote, Snyder "snapped back with 'We are a football team.'"
"I saw at that moment quite clearly, my objection did not concern Snyder," Enote wrote.
Enote's article, titled "We Are Not Redskins," appears in Indian Country Today, a media network run by the Oneida Indian Nation, a group that also runs the Change the Mascot campaign.
More: Redskins racist? Native Americans' views on the name
Enote is the director of the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center in Zuni, N.M. He wrote that he also spoke to the owner about the importance of A:shiwi heritage.
In the article, he addressed Snyder's Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation, questioning whether its motives are "genuinely altruistic."
"I am not alone to say that it will be a dishonor, embarrassment, and pity to accept money from Snyder’s spin machine," said Enote.
Enote also questioned the validity of a 2004 survey Snyder cites that found 90 percent of Native Americans polled do not oppose the name.
- Molly Geary
