Amidst new discussion regarding the use of Native American imagery and culture by professional sports teams, the Atlanta Braves franchise will be selling a t-shirt in order to raise awareness and to help maintain the native Cherokee written language, Syllabary.
The t-shirt is being sold for $30 by the baseball franchise and will seek to raise more awareness for the Cherokee written language system, CNN reported. The gray t-shirt is designed with the Atlanta Brave’s “A” logo, along with the word “ᎠᏁᏦᎥᏍᎩ,” which means “ball player” in the Syllabary language.
The Braves franchise partnered with the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians (ECBI) to design the t-shirt. Half of the proceeds from each of the t-shirts sold will go towards benefitting the New Kituwah Academy and the Cherokee Speakers Council, Laura Blythe, the program Director for the Cherokee Historical Association explained.
The Atlanta Braves have partnered with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to produce a Syllabary t-shirt to help bring awareness to the native language.
Proceeds benefit the New Kituwah Academy and the Cherokee Speakers Council: https://t.co/ZceWKEnGe4 pic.twitter.com/d6Urd4CjPM
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) December 10, 2020
“I want to sell as many as we can because the proceeds go back to something that we hold very dear,” Blythe explained. “There are so many Native tribes that have been completely wiped out, that have lost their languages, and that is one of the key factors that make you an indigenous tribe.”
“A lot of people think that all Native American cultures are the same,” Blythe continued. “But with this shirt, it spotlights our own culture, our own heritage. A lot of people don’t recognize Cherokee Syllabary when it’s written. We want to spotlight who we are as Cherokee people. And I think that if we’re able to touch a few hearts with our story, then that a success right there.” (RELATED: After 105 Years, Cleveland Will Drop ‘Indians’ From Baseball Team Name)
This move comes following recent news that Cleveland‘s baseball team would be removing the “Indians” from their name. Prior to this decision, in 2019 the team removed the “Indian” logo from their on-field team uniforms. The Atlanta Braves have no plans to change their name.