MetroWest Daily News
Thursday, January 4, 2007

A better way to respect Indian heritage
By Peter Sanfaçon/Guest Columnist

I am writing in response to recent letters by Silvio Mandino regarding the Natick High "Redmen" nickname. As a former Natick resident myself, I commend Mr. Mandino for coming forward and sharing his firsthand account of how this sports team nickname came to be a half-century ago.

Mr. Mandino noted that "Natick" is an Indian name meaning "place of hills." Twenty-six of the 50 states are Indian words, as are the names of the countries to our immediate north and south, six of the 13 Canadian provinces and territories, four of the five Great Lakes, as well as countless cities and towns across New England and throughout North America.

Many of these towns, especially in New England, no longer have any Native American population. And we honor their extinction with a crude nickname and logo for sports teams?

Mr. Mandino claims that he chose the "Redmen" nickname because a Native American reference would be "entirely appropriate," given the fact that the town was once inhabited by the Natick Praying Indians. What he doesn't mention is that in 1675, during the outbreak of King Philip's War, the entire Indian population of Natick was carted off to Deer Island in Boston where they were imprisoned for the duration of the war, much like the Japanese Americans who were sent to internment camps during World War II.

Mr. Mandino also failed to mention that the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs supports the statement on the use of Native American images and nicknames as sports symbols adopted by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in 2001. In that statement, the Commission pointed out that "since the 1970s, American Indian leaders and organizations have vigorously voiced their opposition to these mascots and team names because they mock and trivialize Native American religion and culture."

The statement goes on to say that "it is particularly disturbing that Native American references are still to be found in educational institutions, whether elementary, secondary, or post-secondary. Schools are places where diverse groups of people come together to learn not only the "Three Rs," but also how to interact respectfully with people from different cultures."

Mr. Mandino has quoted members of the Nipmuc and Wampanoag people who have gone on record to say that they have "no problem" with Native American nicknames and that people "should spend their time on more important issues." Mr. Mandino, on the other hand, apparently finds this issue important enough to write a 900-word guest column about it. I also think this issue is important. I'm not the only one.

In 1999 the NAACP urged "all professional sports teams, and public and private schools and universities currently using such names and images to reject the use of Native Americans, and all historically oppressed people and their cultural traditions, as sports mascots and symbols, and affirm their commitment to respectful racial and cultural inclusion in all aspects of their institutions."

In 1993 the National Congress of American Indians, founded in 1944 and representing more than 400,000 Native Americans, condemned "the racist and condescending attitude of team owners, colleges, and high schools, which continue to demean the members of our Nations." The NCAI is not a group of so-called white liberals with a politically correct agenda; these are Native people who are tired of their culture being mocked and belittled by their association with sports activities.

Mr. Mandino himself acknowledges the inappropriateness of the "tomahawk chop" and the historical inaccuracy of the "Redmen" logo(s). What about students donning mock "Indian" attire to cheer for their football team? If we eliminate the "Redmen" nickname and replace it with something less offensive, these acts will also become a part of history.

In 2001 the Intertribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes called for the elimination of "Indian" mascots, nicknames, and logos, and urged educational institutions like Natick High School to provide "meaningful education about real American Indian people, current American Indian issues, and the rich variety of American Indian cultures in the U.S."

How long will we tolerate and accept racial stereotypes in our public schools?

Mr. Mandino mentioned the cost of changing team uniforms. Should our federal tax dollars continue to fund institutional racism simply because change is costly? These changes can be made quite easily over time as uniforms become worn, just like every other time team uniforms have been replaced in years past—without a single taxpayer complaint.

In closing, I would like to include one last quote from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: "We applaud those who have been leading the fight to educate the public and the institutions that have voluntarily discontinued the use of insulting mascots. Dialogue and education are the roads to understanding. The use of American Indian mascots is not a trivial matter. The Commission has a firm understanding of the problems of poverty, education, housing, and health care that face many Native Americans. The fight to eliminate Indian nicknames and images in sports is only one front of the larger battle to eliminate obstacles that confront American Indians."

The debate in Natick is only one of scores going on across the country. There are nearly 50 high schools in Massachusetts alone that still use some sort of "Indian" nickname or imagery in association with sports activities. It is time for our educators to take a stand on this issue.

Peter Sanfaçon of the New England Anti-Mascot Coalition is from Framingham.