An honor or a disgrace? School mascots face scrutiny
By Nick Pinto, Staff Writer
Daily News of Newburyport
Friday, February 23, 2007
The debate over American Indian mascots that has raged in college athletics in recent years may soon include Amesbury and Pentucket high schools.
The Massachusetts Intramural Athletics Association, the state's governing body for high school sports, is considering whether to regulate the use of such mascots. American Indian mascots are used by 46 schools statewide, including the Amesbury High School Indians and the Pentucket High School Sachems.
The Pentucket Regional School District, which includes Groveland, Merrimac and West Newbury, has a Native American in profile at the center of its logo. A different image, depicting an American Indian in the full ceremonial feathered headdress worn by tribes of the great plains, appears on the wall of the high school gymnasium and on some school-related documents.
In Amesbury, the emblem of the school features crossed arrows and an American Indian on horseback.
Both schools have mascots in American Indian dress who appear infrequently at sports events.
Eli Wolff, a researcher at the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University, said the issue of American Indian mascots isn't just cosmetic.
"This isn't about being politically correct," Wolff said. "It's about how we create an appropriate kind of community and how we treat and respect human beings."
The MIAA hasn't yet decided what to do about the mascots, but it is wary of banning American Indian mascots. Paul Wetzel, a spokesman for the association, said in many instances the use of American Indian mascots and imagery extends beyond the schools.
"Who's the best person to deal with something widespread like that?" he asked. "The school committee? The school department? The city council? A town meeting? As long as we're not sure where the jurisdiction lies, the MIAA is unlikely to ban anything."
Whatever the MIAA decides, all parties expect the association to conduct a vigorous debate on the issue. That debate so far has been largely absent at the local schools with American Indian mascots.
Peter Morse, a Pentucket senior, wrote an article in the school's newspaper questioning Pentucket High's choice of mascot, but said it's not a burning issue in the school community.
Maureen Moran, chairwoman of the Pentucket School Committee, said the issue hasn't arisen during her time in the community. She acknowledged the importance of the debate, but questioned whether it is an appropriate issue for the school committee, the superintendent or the community at large.
"Right now, the more pressing issue for us is the budget," Moran said.
Deb Bibeau, the vice chair of the Amesbury School Committee, said she will fight any effort to change the school's mascot.
"I don't see how you could call it offensive or degrading," Bibeau said. "We're honoring them."
Bibeau, who said she has Cherokee and Abenaki ancestry herself, said she has never heard American Indians complain about the mascot.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Education, 0.6 percent of Amesbury's student population and 0 percent of Pentucket's identifies as American Indian.
Any change would also cost the districts money at a time when funding is already short, Bibeau pointed out.
"It's going to be quite expensive. Is the MIAA going to pay to change the uniforms and signs?" she asked.
Bibeau said she considers the whole issue ridiculous.
"What's next? Are dolphins going to get upset because there's a football team named after them?" she asked. "We have more important things to worry about, like finding adequate funding for all the unfunded federal and state mandates. People are worried about transportation fees, not mascots."
Not everyone is convinced that mascots honor American Indians, though.
Natick resident Pete Sanfacon has been leading the fight to change that town's mascot, "the Red Men," and has launched the New England Anti-Mascot Coalition.
"What's sad to me is how people say they are honoring the strength of native people," Sanfacon said. "You can't honor people who were the victims of genocide by making them a logo on a football helmet."
Morse said the opinion of an overwhelmingly white community shouldn't be the deciding factor.
"Whether the community considers it offensive or honorable is irrelevant," he said, citing a survey in Indian Country Today that found 81 percent of respondents find American Indian mascots offensive.
"If this is the overwhelming opinion of Native Americans today, why is Pentucket so entrenched in its belief that it is alright?" Morse asked in his article.
Many supporters of changing the American Indian mascots argue that the problem is obvious if other ethnic groups are substituted.
"No one can imagine an African mascot with a bone through their nose," Sanfacon said. "This isn't any different."
Some schools have managed to make the transition away from potentially offensive mascots without incident. In 2003, Merrimack College in North Andover changed its mascot from an American Indian to an ethnically and historically nonspecific warrior.
Advocates of discontinuing ethnic mascots say their primary goal is to start a conversation on the subject, but they are confident that a shift is inevitable.
"It can be hard to see change coming when you're in the moment, but eventually it happens," Wolff said. "Women aren't banned from the Olympics anymore. We no longer have the Negro Leagues. This will pass on, too."
What's in a name
Here's a look at local high schools' mascots:
Amesbury Indians
Georgetown Royals
Newburyport Clippers
Pentucket Sachems
Triton Vikings.