Last week, the Osseo-Fairchild School District was ordered, by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, to drop its Chieftains nickname and logo, which it has used for many years. With so much rich, Native American culture in Wisconsin, I’m sure Osseo-Fairchild will only be the first of many districts to fall under scrutiny after the passage of a new state law that went into effect in May. That particular law allows for any resident who lives within the district and objects to the usage of a race-based nickname, logo or mascot to file a complaint with the state superintendent. The same day the law was passed, residents within the Osseo-Fairchild district filed a complaint over the logo.
Since the verdict was handed down last Tuesday, the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District decided to do away with its Redmen mascot, as well. And, with good reason. If the state has ordered one district to drop its nickname and logo, chances are the rest will eventually have to follow suit. All it takes is one person who objects to its usage. My question is, why is it necessary to do away with these mascots? I honestly don’t see why they are so offensive ... and I hardly doubt I’m the only one.
When I attended high school, I was proud to be a Cornell Lady Chief. And Justin, over there, was a Lake Holcombe Chieftain. We had uniforms, sweatshirts, T-shirts, all adorned with the school mascot and chief head logo. To me, it was a tribute to the roots of the region ... and reminded us kids of the heritage and history of our country. It was about the time I became a sophomore that the shit really started to hit the fan and people began regarding those mascots and logos as demeaning, stereotypical and discriminatory. I don’t see it that way.
School mascots are not meant to be derogatory in any way, shape or form. From the get-go, it was supposed to exemplify our appreciation for the Native American heritage. What better way for us to express that than to name our school mascots in their honor? At some point, though, the meaning became skewed and Native American descendants began taking offense at the way they were being portrayed. As such, our gym floor was replaced, removing the chief head that was in the center. What took its place was a flaming C, which made absolutely no sense to me, especially since the district only relinquished the logo and not the mascot name. Somewhere along the way, the school digressed back to using a Native American headdress in its logo ... one step forward, two steps back, I guess.
Other schools in the region faced the same issues: the aforementioned Lake Holcombe Chieftains, Winter Warriors, Elmwood Raiders, Greenwood Indians. Arcadia even went through the process of eliminating the American Indian reference from its logo. The order that was handed down last week stated that the school district did not have permission of any federalized American Indian tribe to use the name or logo. So, what are they really saying? If the school somehow obtained permission to use that logo, that would be OK?
And where do you suppose this type of legislation will cease? Ancestors of pirates might find those mascot names and logos offensive. The same goes for lumberjacks, vikings, medieval warriors and spartans. The Butternut and Hurley High School nicknames are Midgets ... now you can't tell me that's not offensive. Before long, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) will seek to stop the use of animals as mascots, as well. Eventually, all team names – if there are any down the road – will need to be inanimate objects like lightning, magic or evergreens.
It’s just a vicious cycle that will eventually lead to the demise of all high school mascots. But, then again, why do high school teams need to have mascots in the first place? It's a nice, traditional concept and all, but, truth be told, they don’t.
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
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