UNO Artifact Collection

Statement on Harmful Material: Materials in UNO Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections are historical in nature and reflect the society in which they were produced. As such, they may contain racial, gender, sexual, religious, and other language and imagery that are offensive by today's standards. The documents, images, publications, and other materials have been retained in order to fully represent the materials in their original format. If the offensive text is not in the original, but in a finding aid, catalog record, or other description created by library employees, please contact Archives and Special Collections to bring this to our attention. Archives & Special Collections is guided by the core values of the Society of American Archivists. If you have questions about this statement or about Archives and Special Collections’ work, we welcome your feedback. Please contact us at unoasc@unomaha.edu or 402-554-6046.

The Municipal University of Omaha/University of Nebraska at Omaha sports team name of "Indians" was abolished in May 1971, along with associated mascots, nicknames, and other references to Native American imagery or terms (such as the yearbook name "Tomahawk"). UNO would be briefly without a mascot, until "Mavericks" was selected in October 1971. The university now recognizes that the mascot and associated depictions is offensive. When the university first selected this mascot in 1939, school mascots based on Native American stereotypes were common. Many artifacts, publications, names, and other material from university history from the period 1939 through 1971 depict Native American caricatures, and it is difficult to present materials from this era without showing or acknowledging this mascot. We accept this as a part of our history, as we accept that the 1971 mascot change represented a positive step for the university.