This
committee was formed to evaluate the continued use of the name “Indians” and to
evaluate whether we should have an official mascot and/or any mascot logo for
the district.”
This was precipitated by an April 2001, letter
from New York State Education Commissioner Richard Mills who asked school
districts in
The task of the Indian Usage Committee was to
enter into a respectful, open process that would result in a recommendation to
the Nyack School Board. The
procedure/process that this committee decided upon at its first meeting
included:
· regular open meetings (
· an open forum for input from the public (Monday, Jan.13,2003)
· research - ongoing throughout the process (both in print and non-print form)
· public comments at all the meetings and the forum
· reading correspondence sent to the school district and listening
to the discussion among the committee members during the meetings.
There is no doubt that the differing opinions
represented in the overall report are the genuine, caring feelings of the
individual members. While the suggested
outcomes and recommendations may differ, everyone wants to respect the culture
of the native peoples of our region and our nation. Whatever the Board’s decision
regarding the use of the “Indians”
name and logo, we recommend that the Nyack Public Schools
create an educational component within the district and make the information
available to every group in our community.
(continued)
INTRODUCTION
(continued)
The
three positions that follow represent the considered views of our
committee after our extensive research, discussions and community input. Our nineteen-member committee expressed their
views at our January 22nd and January 27th meetings. Nine
of us wanted to eliminate the use of the Indian name and logo, four wanted to
maintain the name and logo as modified in 1995, and four wanted to offer a
compromise position maintaining the name Nyack Indians but changing the logo (the committee included two non-voting
members). The following pages
describe those positions, and were written by advocates of the respective
positions and reviewed by the whole committee.
********************
POSITION: ELIMINATE NAME AND LOGO
(Nine
Members In Favor)
After many hours of research and deliberation—including
evaluation of the community’s opinions—the committee has a recommendation
regarding using the “Indian” to represent the Nyack Schools. We agree with what has been echoed by the
community—that our use of the name “Indians” is intended to honor and remember
the past residents of our village. We
have come to realize, however, that it is instead perceived as hurtful and
disrespectful to many Native Americans.
We need to acknowledge that the people we claim to be honoring are not
only from our past but from our present as well. They are still here today and
they have a voice. They have told us they are not honored, but hurt.
The district’s slogan is “Proud Traditions Shaping the
Future.” A tradition that offends is not
a proud tradition. It is one of the four
stated goals of the Board of Education, to “support students’ efforts by
ensuring a safe and caring environment.” To that end, our schools have expended
significant effort and made strides towards reducing racism in the
district. We are to be commended for
these efforts; however, we must remember that there are more than just two
races.
Former and current students have been hurt by our “Indian”
name and logo. We need to change in order to protect our students. It is important to
educate our students in native cultures, but our logo and name do not do
this. They hinder education by promoting
a false stereotype. The elimination of
the “Indian” image clears the way for true education from historical
perspectives, and also from a current perspective of issues facing Native
Americans today.
Some of our committee members opposed changing our name
when we started our discussions. We learned, as did many of the students who
attended the high school debate, that opinions on this matter often change once
people learn the issues at hand. We
learned that while there were Native People residing in this area, there was no
tribe called the “Nyack Indians” and the use of the “Indian” name and logo has
the potential to be misused.
If you remove the name “Indians,” a public education forum
might reduce further divisiveness in our district by helping to get past the
anger likely
(continued)
Eliminate Name/Logo
(continued)
to be associated with a change of this magnitude. We acknowledge the pride espoused by our
community, however we do not believe that it is
truly “Indian Pride” as it has been called. Instead, it is “Nyack Pride.” We are proud of our students, many of whom
are athletes. We are proud of our
schools, our alumni, and our community.
We proudly tell people we are from Nyack. Our sense of pride will not be diminished if
the name “Indians” is removed.
Many organizations have come to the same conclusion we
have. New York Attorney General Eliot
Spitzer has said that this type of usage may violate the Federal Civil Rights
Act of 1964. This might leave us open to
lawsuits if we do not change. Two State
Boards of Education have passed statewide bans on the use of Native names for
sports teams. The U.S. Commission on
Civil Rights calls for an end to schools using Native images and team
names. The National Education Association recently stated, “The NEA
deplores prejudice based on race [or] ethnicity.and rejects the use of names,
symbols, caricatures, emblems, logos, and mascots that promote such prejudice.” Finally, the NAACP states, “...the use of Native
American people, images, symbols, and cultural and religious traditions as
sports names, logos and mascots perpetuates racist stereotypes and undermines
the self-determination and dignity of Native American people.”
The “Indian” has been a symbol of our schools for over
seventy years. We acknowledge the
admiration of the strong traditions in our community. Our town also has traditions of tolerance,
respect, and compassion for all people.
It is out of deference to these traditions that after months of
researching and discussing the continued use of the “Indians” name and logo,
nine members of our committee recommend that our schools stop using the name “Indians” and the
associated images and symbols to represent our schools and teams.
********************
POSITION: KEEP
NAME AND LOGO
(Four
Members In Favor)
In the 1930’s, the Indian was chosen to represent the
Nyack school district in honor of the Indians who previously inhabited this
area. When honor is bestowed upon
someone, it is not general practice to ask that person how he or she would like
to be admired. Honor is tribute, respect
and admiration. The intent to honor can
never be changed. In 1995, with
assistance from the Ramapough Indians, Nyack schools reviewed and adjusted its
use of the Indian name and logo. We
believe that the 19-member committee formed to review its use again cannot
fairly represent an entire school district.
The following is in response to Commissioner Mills’
questions:
“Do Native Americans and
non-Native Americans perceive the mascot differently?”
Nyack school district, through the use of the Indian name
and symbol, embraces and intends to promote positive values of American Indian
culture; pride, strength, courage and honor.
These are great values for our children.
In a community that does not think as a group, it is not feasible for an
individual or group of individuals to decide which perception of the Nyack
Indian’s use is the right perception. As
individuals, our perceptions will vary greatly on many issues and “there will be a significant difference
between how the mascot may have been intended and how it is interpreted.” These differing interpretations should remind
us that no one person is more enlightened than another. Just as it is wrong to assume that all non-Indians think alike, it is wrong to
assume that all Indians think
alike. Many Indians are proud of their
association with schools, and resent those Indians who claim to be their voice
on this issue. Indian schools across the
country continue to use Indian names and symbols with pride. To believe that only Indians can use Indian
names and symbols is biased. If it is
determined that the “Nyack Indian” is culturally misused, then we must also
review the Indian name of our town, and the use of the Nyack Indian from
countless community organizations and businesses. In their mission statement, the Regents of
the State of New York, states, “We will respect and foster respect for the
geographic, religious, cultural, and ethnic difference of this great State, and
we will nurture the ties that make us a single society sharing a common
destiny.” In this same spirit, Nyack
deserves geographic respect.
(continued)
Keep Name/Logo (continued)
“How should an organization respond if it’s
well-intentioned actions unintentionally offend a member of the group’s
religious or ethnic beliefs?”
Offensiveness is subjective. Since
every situation differs, it is important to deal with issues as they
arise. It is not humanly possible to
know what will offend each individual.
Censorship is not a power given to anyone to use against another nor
does it heal conflict. It is important
to educate our children to value
their own opinions, not stifle
them. We should look to give our
children more opportunities to exercise freedom with responsibility. We believe our children do not leave their
freedoms at the school door. Schools
should be a place where our children learn how to become responsible and decent
citizens within a free society. Our
First Amendment rights are vital, as noted in the statement issued to
Commissioner Mills by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. “The Commission deeply respects the rights of
all Americans to freedom of expression under the First Amendment and in no
way would attempt to prescribe how people can express themselves.” To address Commissioner Mill’s concern that
Indian names and symbols can become barriers to a safe school environment, it
should be noted that the National Center for Education Statistics (1998) found
that tardiness was cited as the most serious problem in schools, at all levels. In 1998, in a letter to the U.S. Department
of Education, Janet Reno stated, “America’s schools are among the safest places
to be on a day-to-day basis.”
“Are there other symbols that
represent the school’s values that could be used in place of the existing
mascot?”
The Nyack school district slogan is “Proud Traditions
Shaping the Future.” The school adopted
this slogan knowing there is great value in tradition. Traditions bind us together as a school and a
community. In being requested to value
Indian traditions, should we be forced to sacrifice our own? It is not a question of whether it is the only symbol that can represent the
school’s values; it is the symbol our community, (with great respect and
admiration) has chosen. It is our desire to preserve the Nyack Indian
name and symbol by retaining its use within our school district. Adrian Cooke, Mohawk Indian, and acting
coordinator of the Native American Education Unit, NYS Education Department,
was receptive to using Nyack’s name and symbol as an aid in educating our
students about Indians. We believe it is
an individual’s responsibility to be respectful, however, guidance should be
provided to sustain proper use of Nyack’s Indian name and symbol.
**********************
POSITION: COMPROMISE:
KEEP NAME/NEW LOGO
(Four
Members In Favor)
Dr.
Ira Oustatcher made the following suggestion to the committee of what a
compromise might look like if needed.
What if
we continued to be the Nyack Indians…
· The Indianettes could continue to be our precision
dance team…
Our written presentations and materials would continue to refer to us as the
Indians.
· Our symbol could be the wolf. One of the
three clans of the Lenape, the Minsi clan was known as the Wolf Clan and they
lived in this region. We would change the symbol on the gym floor to the
wolf and that symbol could be used on athletic equipment and letterhead and
wherever else we choose. We would ask the local Lenapes to help us choose
an appropriate wolf.
· An educational component of this plan would be key
and an emphasis in the curriculum mandated. Each club, team and school
would have a responsibility that goes with the privilege of continuing the use
of this proud symbol of the native people to this region. Their history
must be presented fairly and begin in the elementary grades continuing into the
high school.
· A committee should be formed to review our uses of
the name Indian and the symbol of the Wolf, and our educational program on this
topic. This committee would meet at least twice in a school year.
At least one member of the Ramapough Nation would be invited to sit on that
committee. At least one member of the committee would be a graduate of
our schools who is a Native American.
The rest of the committee should be representative of administration,
staff, students and the community.
There
are reasons to consider a compromise:
·
In 1995 when Nyack reviewed the use of the Indian
name, logo, and mascot, the Ramapough Mountain Indian leaders discussed the
inappropriate use of the logo and various articles throughout the school.
·
The accepted 1995 Indian head logo has proven to be
difficult to (continued)
Compromise
(continued)
monitor. There have been several incidents in recent
years of its
abuse. Many different Indian heads still
appear in various forms throughout the schools and some inappropriate symbols,
such as the spear on the football team’s helmets, or a depiction of a Native
American in a full headdress have
reemerged. The logo itself was also being phased out of any new purchases
of equipment and uniforms (a decision
made prior to Commissioner Mills’ letter), thereby effectively eliminating
an “official” logo in approximately a two to three year period.
·
If we could effectively adopt a new symbol, its
image could be used in many different locations, in many different forms, and
throughout the schools and at sporting events.
·
Almost unanimous consent can be found that the
district has to do a better job of educating our students about the Lenape
people who lived in this area. A wolf symbol (or a similar idea) has
potential to lead us in that discussion.
The proposal can only work if a
number of factors fall into place.
·
The Indian head logo is completely eliminated from
any present district merchandise, signs, or other places it might be found.
·
The administration, staff, students, community and sports organizations are committed to its
use. In addition, the administration and
staff must be committed to vigilance in monitoring its use to instill the
respect and honor that it deserves. The
privilege of continuing to use the Indian name, and any logo, carries with it a
clear responsibility to monitor its use.
·
We find ways of teaching the district’s students
about the Lenape people who lived here and why we use a wolf or similar symbol.
If,
after a period of review, any of these factors prove to be too difficult,
unworkable, or we are not reaching our desired goals, then the name “Indians”
should be reviewed with the real potential of its being retired.
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