For eighty years, Oklahoma State University published a yearbook series under the name, “The Redskin.” While recording decades of student life, the yearbooks also depict years of insensitivity concerning ethnic and racial identities including slang, stereotypes, and appropriation. Over the years, indigenous themes and symbols became less and less frequent, although ethnic and culturally insensitive portrayals continued to be extremely problematic. A benefit of the yearbooks was that they also shed light on indigenous people’s activity in the region over the span of time the yearbooks were printed.
Use as a theme and story
A feature of many of the early yearbooks was the use of indigenous arts and experiences as a theme for the yearbooks. Note this ranges from pots and patterns on the pages to dedications created around stereotypical language. Equally problematic are a series of conquest themes emphasizing progress and indigenous people as a disappearing race.
“Playing Indian”
The practice of “Playing Indian” is found in many facets of life. At OSU, attempts to boost yearbook sales and athletics often perpetuated this practice. While student antics and inside jokes have at times lost their meanings, their hurtful and demeaning images remain.
Corresponding resources: Philip J. Deloria’s Playing Indian (1998) and Shari M. Huhndorf’s Going Native (2001)
Representation—Good or Bad?
Indigenous people attended and participated in OSU activities throughout the twentieth century. How their contributions were represented varied.
Miko Kings by LeAnne Howe
Later Years And Other Problematic Representations
The Oklahoma State University Redskin Yearbook allowed for students to look back at the year’s highlights, whether personal or campus-wide. However, as the decades and society continued to progress, many of the depictions and images within the yearbook began to be seen under a new light. Actions such as consuming alcohol on campus grounds, fraternities demonstrating their “traditions” or seemingly benign racially-insensitive actions have taken on a new light within the larger society presently.
The OSU Redskin Yearbook was discontinued in 1991 due to decreasing involvement and desire for continued publication. While its contents can be problematic and at times offensive, the Redskin Yearbook and its digitized collection serve to document and preserve Oklahoma State’s long and complicated history.
