One might say I don’t have a dog in this fight. After all, I’m not a native Saugonian, I didn’t even grow up in this state. And my high school mascot was a warrior taken from Greek mythology, so little chance of anyone taking offense.
But can we examine the use of Indigenous people as mascots with the clarity that comes from higher learning, sensitivity and 21st century empathy?
The definition of Sachem, taken from Merriam-Webster is a North American Indian chief; especially : the chief of a confederation of the Algonquian tribes of the North Atlantic coast.
It is easy to see why people could believe they were honoring the tribe when they named their mascot for their school. Indigenous people have been characterized as fierce warriors (or savages) since Europeans first set foot on North American soil. But when the newly formed government moves people off their own land, slaughters them, disenfranchises them from their cultures and their sacred traditions, it’s tough to rectify that with saying using their namesakes, likenesses or caricatures (I’m looking at you Cleveland Indians), is honoring them.
Every time this comes up, someone of Irish descent has countered “what about the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame?” Let me tell you, if that was deemed offensive by even a third of Irish Americans in this country, it would have been changed decades ago.
Yet every time Indigenous Americans claim they don’t want to be “othered” into being mascots, mocked for their sacred practices, or treated as savage animals instead of the human beings that we all are, someone not Native starts talking about “traditions.”
When I went back for a high school reunion a few years ago (none of your business which one), I was surprised that they changed the logo for my mascot. The name was the same, but the logo I grew up with was unrecognizable. Same when my beloved Willie Wildcat at Kansas State had to move over for the Powercat logo.
So I felt a twinge of sadness for my high school logo that was no more, searched the stores until I could find a few traditional Willie Wildcat articles of clothing, and my life went on just fine.
I understand that the further away we get from our wonder years, the more we look back with nostalgic rose-colored glasses. But if your old high school mascot changed today, so that it doesn’t connote racist images, how would your life really be affected? If you were a Sachem before, you can claim you’ll be a Sachem forever. But we are all learning, and growing — and evolving. Our past isn’t being erased, it’s just being reckoned with.
The fact that even the NFL’s Washington team has come around to reckoning with the racist slur it called its team is cause for celebration.
And let me not be a hypocrite. I have a beautiful Chicago Blackhawks hoodie, that I will gladly retire. I’d much rather the franchise go back to the original two-word moniker, Black Hawks, that they used to be, and change their logo from an Indigenous person’s head to a beautiful bird. I’ll wait.
In the meantime, our memories aren’t erased because time marches on and we become more enlightened. In that sense, we all have a dog in this fight. Because we’re all fighting for everyone’s dignity and humanity.
Dr. Maya Angelou said, “When we know better, we do better.”
So, now that we know, let’s do.
