Tribes have a right to determine how their names are used, NCAA President Myles Brand said in an interview with The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.

Brand said the NCAA is working with schools on a "case-by-case basis" to determine whether their use of Indians as mascots is appropriate. "Those names belong to the tribe, and it�s their decision on how they want to use it," he told the paper.

"I don�t know what it is about the American psyche that gives us permission to stereotype and caricature Native Americans, but we wouldn�t dream of doing it for anyone else," he said.

The NCAA adopted its policy last August to forbid the use of Indian imagery during post-season tournaments. A handful of schools have appealed in hopes of keeping their mascots and nicknames.

Get the Story:
Keeping the games 'unbiased and fair' (The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette 3/15)
pw1
Indian names non-issue at NCAA tournament (AP 3/15)

NCAA Indian Mascot Policy:
NCAA Executive Committee Issues Guidelines for Use of Native American Mascots at Championship Events (August 5, 2005)

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