At Stanford University the "Indians" have become the "Cardinal", at St. John's University the "Redmen" are now the "Red Storm". In Wisconsin, Marquette's "Warriors" are now "Golden Eagles" and over 50 Wisconsin high schools have adopted new mascots or logos considered non-sterotypical by the Native community.

Also of a concern are the use of Native images and names on commercial products. The image of Native people continues to appear on products ranging from cornstarch to beer. While the issue is a topic frequently discussed in Native communities and the voice of disapproval is heard in corporate America, the voice is often only a whisper and new trademarks and logos featuring Native Americans continue to enter the marketplace.

Recently a micro-brewery, Tyranena Brewing Company LLC located in Lake Mills, WI was the subject of news articles and broadcasts in both the Milwaukee and Madison markets. The brewery, which opened in 1999, features beers named and dedicated to "local legends, historical people, places and events; and those things quintessential to Wisconsin".

One of these legendary figures, Chief BlackHawk, is at the heart of the controversy. Tyranena's owner and founder, Rob Larson explained in a personal interview the reason he chose Chief BlackHawk to decorate one of his labels.

When asked if he was aware that naming a beer "Chief BlackHawk" could be seen as controversial, Larson stated that he is aware and sensitive to the mascot issue. He believes that what distinguishes the name is that he is not depicting a group of people but a person, who in that part of the state is a legend.

Stating that all his beers are named after legends, he emphasized that Chief BlackHawk was a person of legendary status who just happened to be a Native American. Noting that another one of his products "Fargo Brothers" is named after a pioneering family in the area, Larson continued that he sees no difference between Chief BlackHawk and the Fargo brothers. He reasoned it could be considered racist had he excluded the Sauk leader when considering local legends.

He added that while some products depict Native Americans as ready for war or in silly caricatures, the picture of Chief BlackHawk on his labels was taken from an image provided by the Wisconsin State Historical Society. Because "we wanted to be accurate and respectful" Larson suggests that people read the label which depicts BlackHawk "as a great man".

He concluded that while he expected some people to be upset with the name, most Native people that he talked to, including one of his sales people, are not offended. He repeated that all his brands are named to reflect the people and history of the area and assures "that we meant to offend no one".