There's been numerous posts asking about how does a name impact a group of people. While I can't speak personally, I decided to read more on the topic in the manuscript referenced earlier:
Although the mascot debate continues, the psychological research is clear that the use of Native mascots is detrimental for Native people. These mascots decrease Native individuals’ self-esteem, community worth, and achievement-related aspirations (Fryberg, et al., 2008; Fryberg & Watts, 2010), and increase stress and depression (LaRocque, et al., 2011). The use of Native mascots also increases stereotyping of (e.g., Burkley et al., 2017) and discrimination against Native Americans (e.g., Chaney et al., 2011; Clark & Witko, in press). Despite these robust findings, media coverage of polls conducted by non-Native organizations often argue that Natives’ endorsement of these mascots is sufficient justification for their continued use (Cox, Clement & Vargas, 2016; The Washington Post, 2013; Vargas, 2019). Yet, our data suggest that these estimates are inflated. To more accurately understand Native Americans’ support for mascots and the psychological consequences of using Native mascots, we must move away from assuming that Natives are a monolithic group and that attitudes in isolation are sufficient to justify using imagery and logos that are harmful to a particular group. Defenders of Native mascots also argue that contemporary Native people have “more important” issues to worry about than Native mascots (Cox & Vargas, 2016). Indeed, Native Americans currently face an unprecedented epidemic of missing and murdered women (Lucchesi & Echo-Hawk, 2018), life-threatening contamination of drinking water (Boyles & Wyss, 2018), disproportionately high rates of death at the hands of police (Millet, 2015), and suicide rates that far exceed the national average (O’Keefe, Tucker, Cole, Hollingsworth & Wingate, 2018). Yet, at the heart of all of these issues is the question of what it means to be Native American in contemporary society. Far from trivial, mascots are one of the many ways in which society dehumanizes Native people and silences Native voices. These representations not only shape how non-Natives see Native people, but also how Native people understand themselves and what is possible for their communities (Fryberg & Watts, 2010). Solving the problems facing Native communities requires both acknowledging Native people’s existence and listening to their perspectives. As Native American activist Suzan Shown Harjo noted, “That non-Native folks think they get to measure or decide what offends us is adding insult to injury.”
Plenty of references to unpack, but there appears to be numerous publications supporting their claims.