rambling on ...

Maybe "modern society" just can't deal with nicknames and mascots? Who's
going to stand up and fight against hostile and abusive treatment of the
mighty eagle and lowly chicken?!

When I moved to Old Town, ME many years ago, I felt I inherited some of
the symbols of the city ... Old Town Canoes, a mill town atmosphere and
... Indians. Old Town is adjacent to the Penobscot Indian Reservation
(aka Indian Island). The Penobscots go to Old Town High School (OTHS)
and many live in Old Town, rather than the Reservation. OTHS teams are,
in fact, known as the Old Town Indians.

Not too many years after the college hockey arena was built in Orono,
the Penobscots built their own rink to benefit their own children and
others in the area. When OTHS added varsity hockey, it's home rink was
the rink on Indian Island (named for the same Indian as caused the
Cleveland Major League Baseball team to be called the Indians). The rink
later closed because High Stakes Bingo made lots of money and hockey and
making ice didn't.

But in the "marriage" was never totally successful. A couple of years
ago I rode a bus to Indian Island with third grade kids, an annual
affair as OT 3rd graders to help learn about their town and immediate
area. That year the tribe was unable to provide a guide as they often
had done, but would open their tribal museum for us. But the adults on
the bus were familiar with the full tour and we took it upon ourselves
to show some of the island/reservation to the kids. It seemed
appropriate to us, as the kids should know of some of the proud history
of the Penobscots. Well, though it was OK and invited the previous year,
it wasn't to the Penobscot Indian that happened by and told us we were
dishonoring them and him by being there. Astounded, we left and arrived
at the museum, as the same person opened it for us. I haven't gone back.
Maybe we were dishonoring him somehow, but the intention was exactly the
opposite. He dishonored us!

So ... all that rambling just so I can suggest that one man's honoring
can be another's dishonoring.

In recent years some Penobscots have seen use of the OTHS name "Indians"
as ... inappropriate. Very recently they officially asked the Old Town
School Board to refrain from using the term Indians and likenesses of
Indians. The School Board, with some input from the community,
essentially said the Indians nickname honored the tribe and their
association and declined a change!

I suspect the issue is not dead.

cheers, wayne

Clay Satow wrote, in part, on 8/5/2005 10:55 PM:

>My personal view is that nicknames that are on their face neutral are OK, but pejorative or
>mocking nicknames or logos aren’t.  So I would strongly disagree with the NCAA on “Chocktaws” and
>“Seminoles.”  I think “Indians” and terms that add “Fighting” are at least discussable, but I’d
>also disagree with the NCAA’s position.  I think that “Savages” and “Redmen,” the “Redskins” of
>the NFL and the Cleveland Major League Baseball team’s Chief Wahoo caricature have no place in
>modern American society.
>
>