INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Indians announced a partnership Wednesday with the Miami Nation of Indians of Indiana that will include recognition and educational opportunities as the team keeps its century-old nickname.
The agreement will include "a land acknowledgement, recognition of Miami veterans during Native American Heritage Night at Victory Field, support of the Miami scholarship program and fan educational opportunities," the team said in a release.
“We are grateful to the Indianapolis Indians for the opportunity to share our story with Hoosiers throughout central Indiana,” said Brian Buchanan, Chief of the Miami Nation of Indians of Indiana.
Buchanan noted the significant influence of Native American people in the names of cities, rivers, parks and other points of interest across Indiana, which literally means "Land of the Indians."
"We have encouraged the team to remain the Indianapolis Indians," Buchanan said in the Indians' release.
The team has been known as the Indianapolis Indians since 1902. Under the partnership, they will continue to use the nickname over the next two years.
“We look forward to using our platform to educate our fans by acknowledging, uplifting and honoring those upon whose ancestral lands Victory Field is built," said Indianapolis Indians chairman and CEO Bruce Schumacher.
The Miami Nation of Indians of Indiana says their tribe is the only continuously functioning, treaty-recognized tribe in the country that is not considered a tribe by the federal government. It is also one of the 100 largest tribes in the United States.
The Indians open the 2023 season at home March 31 vs. Omaha.
