Saugus Sachems: yes or no?
Saugus Advertiser
By Mike Gaffney/mgaffney@cnc.com
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Should communities such as Saugus abolish the practice of using Native American mascots for their athletic teams? Debate over the appropriateness of Native American nicknames and logos has gone on for years, and the issue was brought up again at a recent meeting of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Sportsmanship Committee.
Advocating for the removal of Native American mascots from all youth, high school, college and professional sports teams was Peter Roby of Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society, who attended a recent MIAA meeting.
Roby said his goal is to open up a dialogue so all arguments can be heard as to whether Native American mascots should be eliminated.
Among the committee members on hand for Roby's presentation was Saugus Superintendent of Schools Dr. Keith Manville, who listened closely since Saugus is one of 46 school districts statewide that use Native American terms for nicknames.
The official nickname for the Saugus school district is Sachems, a Native American word meaning "chief" or "head of a tribe."
Manville argued that the term Sachems is meant to honor the town’s history and the early cooperation between Native Americans and settlers in this area. He added that there is a difference between nicknames that stereotype the Native American culture, and others, such as the Sachems in Saugus, that were created out of respect.
"I don't think there is anything about the nickname that is derogatory or insulting to Native Americans," Manville remarked. "Having said that, I'm not a Native American and I can’t speak for how they feel."
Furthermore, Manville noted that the Sachems mascot is totally embedded in the town's culture. He cited the presence of the logo on street signs and how it's incorporated into the town seal.
Unlike what happens at other schools, Manville said no one dresses up in Native American clothing to cheer on teams during athletic events.
TJ Wojciechowski, a class of '94 Saugus High graduate now living in Oregon, contacted the Advertiser to urge that the Sachems nickname remain.
"(Sachem) isn't a derogatory name. Saugus Sachems doesn't carry any undesirable adjectives or verbs in front of it, such as savage or fighting. I say keep the nickname Sachems. I see it as a different case then the Redman or Redskins, which are offensive terms."
Resident Bob Sacco agreed there is nothing wrong with the nickname Sachems. He felt that any movement to alter the mascot is an example of political correctness getting a little too out of control.
"I don't think it's offensive and I'd hate to see it ever change," Sacco said. "It would be a shame if we had to get rid of it."
Time for a change?
The suggestion that mascots or nicknames pay tribute to Native Americans doesn't hold water with everyone.
Peter Sanfacon, director of the New England Anti-Mascot Coalition, pointed to a declaration made by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in 2001 that the elimination of Native American nicknames and images as sports mascots would benefit all Americans by getting rid of racial stereotypes.
Sanfacon said that you don't find races other than Native Americans portrayed as mascots.
"You never see mascots named after Asian Americans or African Americans," Sanfacon remarked. "Imagine the uproar if you had an African mascot with a bone through his nose. Native Americans are the only race depicted as mascots in sports."
Sanfacon also questioned the logic of overwhelmingly white communities deciding if a mascot linked to a minority population is appropriate, considering the country’s troubled history of relocating and killing Native Americans to lay claim to land.
"It's not right to 'honor' victims of genocide by putting them on the backs of jerseys or football helmets," Sanfacon stressed. "That's not an honor, it's encouraging racial stereotypes."
Many of the 46 cities and towns that use Native American nicknames have people of Native American heritage in their school districts, Sanfacon said. If these people are offended by the nickname or logo at the school they attend, it becomes a civil rights issue.
According to the Department of Education, .2 percent of Saugus students in 2006-2007 are Native American, compared to an average of .3 percent for the state.
Roby believes that many communities established Native American nicknames as a show of respect, but he expressed concern that mascots often don’t accurately depict the history of the Native American culture in this country.
In addition to being demeaning, Native American mascots send the wrong message about values and shouldn't be used in an educational setting, Roby said.
New mindset
The New England Anti-Mascot Coalition has sent Manville a letter requesting that the issue of Native American mascots be further researched so the "outdated practice" is put to an end.
Manville told the Advertiser he isn't opposed to looking into the matter further, but emphasized there are more pressing problems facing the School Department now, such as the budget crunch and potential teacher layoffs.
To date Manville said he has yet to receive any complaints from residents objecting to the use of Sachems as the official nickname/mascot.
Roby said part of the reason why he appeared before the MIAA was to make sure communities are aware of what the NCAA has done regarding Native American mascots.
In February 2006 the NCAA adopted a new policy to prohibit NCAA universities with hostile and abusive racial/ethnic/national origin mascots or nicknames from hosting any NCAA championships.
Ultimately Roby wants to see the custom of schools using Native American nicknames and mascots eliminated. At this point he said parties are gathering information to see how people feel about the controversial issue.
What has yet to be determined is if the MIAA has the authority to force schools into changing their nicknames, Manville said. The organization is investigating the matter further and should have a few answers by the time the Sportsmanship Committee meets next on May 9, he added.
Bill Gaine Jr., deputy director of the MIAA, said he wants his organization to find out from member schools if they want to do anything.
"It's a discovery process to get reaction from our schools," he said.