From the Times-Herald Record, Middletown, New York  10940                 View the actual scanned editorial here
Page 46
Friday January 28, 2000

EDITORIALS

Onteora strikes a blow for civility
School board shows class in dropping 'Indians' as high school nickname.

Some people may wonder what the big deal is about the "Indians" nickname for Onteora High School teams. "Why did the school board crumble under the pressure to change the nickname?" some may ask. Protected by a mask of naiveté, some might even insist they would feel respected if their ethnicity were recognized by a team.

But let's turn the tables.

The Onteora mascot is pictured in a controversial mural on the gym wall.  A Native American warrior is crashing through the cinder block with teeth grinding and a feather sticking out of his tomahawk hairstyle. Now, imagine that a Native American community decides that its school's mascot is to be a black man depicting Uncle Tom, dressed in overalls and eating watermelon. Or maybe the school uses a Hasidic Jewish man with hanging paes and a goofy grin. Can you imagine the justified outrage if the team was named the Catholics and used the pope, brandishing rosary beads, as its mascot?

The argument given to protesters who would be rightly offended? It's a sign of respect.

Don't worry. The argument would never need to be vocalized. It wouldn't happen, because it shouldn't happen. 

And in a surprising move, members of Onteora's school board this week said it just shouldn't happen in their community. Good for them.

There's nothing subtle or proud about people being turned into mascots, to have their names and rituals mocked and their pride eroded in order to incite team spirit for others. It's a disgrace that it is taking so long for schools and teams to realize that the tradition needs to come to an end.

If high schools and colleges really want to show reverence to Native Americans, why not teach more of their history? And make sure at least some of it has nothing to do with European interaction.

Dozens of colleges and high schools have forsaken so-called "tradition" in the last 30 years and changed their Native. American nicknames. Stanford University went from the "Indians" to the "Cardinals," Siena College went from "Indians" to "Saints," St John's from the "Red men" to the "Bed Storm," and Seattle University from "Chieftains" to "Red hawks." And now Onteora has done away with the "Indians" 

Which team will have the civility, if not the guts, to follow?