Baseball's League of Nations: A Salute to Native American Baseball Players
Did you know that in Alaska in the early 1900s Native Americans could only appear on the field as clowns when non-natives were playing? Or that Apaches, including Geronimo, played baseball during their internment in Fort Sill? This summer, SM&NC joins forces with the Iroquois Indian Museum, in Howes Cave, New York, to explore the epic struggles of native players to be accepted on the diamond, and to showcase those who reached prominence in the game, such as Hall of Famer Charles Albert "Chief" Bender, or the legendary Jim Thorpe.
 Of particular interest is the period between the end of the "Indian Wars" and the early 1930s, when the government's Indian Boarding Schools were in full swing. The schools were meant to be benevolent, but their goal of "killing the Indian while saving the man" caused untold suffering to their pupils. As Jeffrey Powers-Beck, author of The American Indian Integration of Baseball, has shown, excelling at sports at these schools gave native youngsters an opportunity not only to show their skills, but to beat non-Indians at their own game. For Native Americans, playing baseball at the government boarding schools was both an act of assimilation and of cultural resistance.
The exhibition presents images and biographical sketches of many players, and focuses on the Native American boarding school experience; baseball in Native communities; Native American barnstorming teams; Native players in the Major and Minor leagues; Native American Women players; and Native American stereotyping in sports. Also included are objects loaned by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum; the Seneca - Iroquois National Museum; the Tonawanda Reservation Historical Society; and numerous individuals and the families of former players.
Baseball's League of Nations is made possible, in part, by The Connecticut Humanities Council. The exhibition is supported by media sponsor 96.7 The Coast.
Dynamic Traditions
Americans have collected Native American objects since they first came into contact with the nation's first inhabitants. An important factor was the attraction of owning exotic things, seen as curiosities. Native Americans also produced objects that non-natives found useful, such as baskets, boxes and bowls. Towards the end of the 19th century, there was a more urgent collecting thrust.
Native Americans were seen as destined to being fully absorbed by the dominant non-Native culture, if not to complete physical extinction. Not only individuals, but cultural organizations, including universities and Museums, hastened to collect "before it was too late."
 This Manifest-Destiny-inspired scenario was, of course, flawed. Although many Native American nations dwindled and some have indeed disappeared, many endured, survived as distinct peoples, and are thriving.
Today, there are over four million people of Native American ancestry in the United States and while collecting is no longer a matter of "salvaging," interest in the material culture of the First Americans is at an all time high. |
MEMBERS' PREVIEW RECEPTION
Friday, June 19
6:30 pm to 8 pm
Bendel Mansion's (main building)
Leonhardt Gallery
Members are invited to a special preview reception of our latest exhibition, Baseball's League of Nations: A Salute to Native American Baseball Players.
Part of the Museum's own Native American collection will be back on display. Dynamic Traditions will include a representative selection showcasing the evolution of Native objects' form and function, from footwear to basketry, and from jewelry to fine art.
For more information please call 203.322.1646 ext. 6521.
RELATED PROGRAMMING
 The Native American Baseball Barnstorming Teams Lecture
June 27
2 pm
Bendel Mansion (main building)
Baseball aficionados as well as those interested in Native American history and culture are in for a special treat, as they will be able to meet Professor Jeffery Powers-Beck. Powers-Beck will lecture on the Native American baseball barnstorming teams and will be available to sign copies of his book, The American Indian Integration of Baseball, following the lecture.
Members: $5 | Non-Members: $10.
Reservations are on a first come, first served basis, so reserve your space today! To reserve a space, call 203.322.1646 ext. 6521.
 Indian Mascots & Sports Teams:
A Native Perspective Workshop
July 26
12 pm to 3 pm
Bendel Mansion (main building)
SM&NC will host Richie Plass (Menominee/Stockbridge-Munsee), where he will discuss the issue of Indian mascots in sports, a subject on which he is as passionate as he is eloquent. Plass has collected dozens of items pertinent to the topic, which he displays in a traveling exhibition. Plass is a co-host of a weekly radio show on Wisconsin Public Radio, Director of Education for the Changing Winds Advocacy Center, drummer with the Wolf River Band, poet, lecturer and traditional dancer.
Members: Free | Non-Members: Free with gate admission.
 Native American Arts Festival
September 26
11 am to 3pm
On September 26, Stamford Museum & Nature Center will present a Native American Arts festival. The festival will feature performances from The Allegany River Indian Dancers, showcasing the traditional songs and dances of the Iroquois. They educate as well as entertain by sharing with the public details about their costumes, languages and music.
Members: Adults: $5, Children $2
Non-Members: Adults: $10, Children: $5 ; All children 3 and under: Free.
Family PLUS and above member levels: Free |
