After New York ban, indigenous Nations want to help public schools nix offensive mascots

Following a Nov. 19 announcement by the New York State Education Department, Indigenous nations say they are working with local schools and school officials to change mascots and symbols depicting Native Americans.

For many Indigenous groups, the ban is years in the making. Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong Sr. said in a statement that the decision to ban such mascots is a "positive step whose time has long since come."

“The historic decimation of Native people should not be celebrated in any fashion or used as a community rallying cry, especially in the realm of education," Armstrong's statement reads. "While individuals in different communities may not associate their team names with the horrors that Native people have faced throughout history, the fact remains that many team names and images further longstanding anti-Native biases.”

Previous coverage:New York public schools must drop Native American mascots or lose funding, state officials say

Working together to replace school mascots

The state's Education Department called on Indigenous nations and schools to work together to find respectful and representative mascots or schools will need to change their mascots altogether.

Such cooperation has precedent in the state and country.

In 1970, the Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs met with Syracuse University to discuss the school’s then-mascot, “Saltine Warrior.” Eight years later, the mascot was finally removed following efforts by the college's Native American Student Organization in collaboration with the Onondaga Nation.

According to a statement from the Onondaga Nation, the mascot was culturally disrespectful and the chiefs recognized that they needed to get involved.

"The depiction of an Indian running around in leather and a Sioux war bonnet was not only incorrect, but offensive. The chiefs explained that there was no dignity within the native community when the Saltine Warrior meets and jousts with wildcats, hogs, bulldogs in front of thousands of people," according to the Onondaga statement.

A renewed commitment to moving forward

Immediately after the November 2022 decision, the Seneca Nation committed to working with schools to develop new imagery.

“Our Nation remains willing to participate in further discussions so that school districts and their communities can come together to support team names and imagery that reflects and respects the character and value of all residents and students," Armstrong said in a statement.

The statement continued with Armstrong promising further discussions with the Salamanca City Central School District, which is located on the Seneca Nation's Allegany Territory and "has a very unique relationship with the Seneca Nation."

Those conversations began soon afterward, as the Seneca Nation and the Salamanca School District are now working together to discuss the Warrior name and logo, which has been in use since the 1970s. That's when Carson Waterman, a Seneca artist, designed it as a replacement for a previous logo, which also depicted an Indigenous person, according to the Salamanca Press.

Mark Beehler, superintendent of Salamanca schools, told the Salamanca Press that while the term "Warriors" doesn't inherently reference or allude to Indigenous people, the logo undeniably depicts a Seneca man.

“That’s where we need to make a determination of do we put those two together or does one of them have to go?" he told the Salamanca Press. "I don’t have the answer to that at this point in time. We’re going to have to collectively determine what the appropriate answer is.”

The Seneca Nation has previously worked with other districts to ensure mascots are respectful and culturally competent. As the Democrat and Chronicle reported last year, the Canandaigua City School District has used the Braves nickname since the late 1940s. In 2001, with unanimous permission from the Tribal Council of the Seneca Nation, the district retained the nickname and worked to do so in a respectful and accurate way.

Instead of using imagery that includes human figures for its logo, the school now uses the wampum belt that was presented at the signing of the Canandaigua Peace Treaty of 1794.

“We have intentionally emphasized the term ‘bravery’ and recognize the importance of the Seneca as the original inhabitants to the Canandaigua area,” Jamie Farr, superintendent of the Canandaigua City Schools, said in an email to the district. “We also, at that time, re-emphasized our commitment to teaching local Native American history and fostered a strong partnership with Ganondagan which continues to this day.”

Schools have until the end of this academic year to comply with the ban — or risk losing state aid and face removal of school officers. There are about 60 schools across the state that still use depictions of Indigenous people as mascots.

Adria R. Walker is the Upstate New York storytelling reporter for the USA Today Network's New York State Team. Reach her at arwalker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: NY Native American tribes helping schools drop offensive mascots