After the New York State Board of Regents voted unanimously to ban the use of Native American names, mascots and imagery in public schools, some of the dozen affected school districts on Long Island have voiced opposition to the change.
Rebranding school teams, apparel and facilities could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to complete, and some districts are concerned about the financial burdens, while also arguing the board is removing a history that “honors” Native Americans.
But for many Indigenous people this honor falls flat.
”Speaking for myself as a tribal leader and as an Indigenous person, the message that is being sent by this is that we're not a symbol, we're not a mascot, we're not history,” said Germain Smith, the secretary of the Shinnecock Council of Trustees.
Smith is in a new position with the state Department of Education, sitting on an advisory council to address Indigenous education needs.
“We’re real people that are still here and still exist,” he continued.
Financial costs
Districts have until the 2024-25 school year to remove any Indigenous-themed names or imagery on buildings, clothing, courts and fields. Schools that fail to do so risk losing state aid, and school officials risk their jobs.
Brentwood Schools Superintendent Rich Loeschner told Newsday that his district, which is one of the largest in New York, began the process to change their “Indians” mascot late last year. He expects the switch to cost well over $400,000 — but he said, “you have to do the right thing.”
While the changes will be costly to repaint buildings, reorder uniforms and in some cases remove images from synthetic turf fields and terrazzo floors, school districts can petition the state for aid if projects exceed $10,000. Schools can also petition for a time extension on the deadline.
Smith pushed back on claims that this is a new movement sprung onto schools. The state Education Department first recommended phasing out Native American imagery in 2001. Brentwood, for example, changed its elementary school mascot to the bear — but kept Indians for its high school. While a number of schools complied without an ultimatum, others did not.
“This is something that many school districts probably should have considered years ago, if not decades ago,” said Smith, who also sits on the Southampton Board of Education. The town’s high school, whose team mascot is the Mariners, is blocks away from the Shinnecock tribal territory in the Hamptons.
“So I don't think that's a valid excuse now,” he said. “And that's something that they will have to work into their budget moving forward, and I believe they will have time to do that.”
We “honor” you
While some Long Island schools are willing to adopt these changes, others are not.
The Sachem Central School District’s Alumni Association stated their opposition to the ban in a letter to the state Board of Regents. Alumni President Chris Vaccaro argued that the name, Sachem, meaning “chief,” and mascot, depicting a flaming arrow, are meant to honor Native American culture.
He wrote that the name and logo are consistent with the school’s branding, tradition and history, and “to change any of this would be devastating to our community’s identity.”
He questions whether the school could keep “arrows” and drop the word “flaming” to preserve this identity.
The Massapequa School District’s Board of Education also wrote their opposition in a letter to the community. Their mascot is the Chiefs.
“We believe the Board of Regents is overextending its reach and removing our local control. We have heard from many members of our community upset by this decision, and we stand beside you. We are Massapequa and we will not sit idly by while an unelected group of officials tries to remove our history,” it read.
Other districts with the name Braves, Warriors and Thunderbirds are only exempt if the names are not associated with Indigenous imagery. For example schools like the Chenango Valley Warriors upstate who use an ancient Greek warrior as their mascot are not affected.
The Wantagh Warriors of Long Island however have an Indian head as their mascot and will need to change.
Smith disagrees with the argument that these names and images are honoring Native Americans.
“If you want to honor us, invite us into your schools, learn about our culture, our history, real history. And talk to us and celebrate us in-person and have that conversation,” he said. “I think for many schools maybe it's entwined in their history but again I go back to, we're not a symbol for you to use and in my opinion that is not honoring us in any way.”
Beyond New York
New York will join 21 other states that have considered taking formal action to ban the use of Native American names and imagery. This includes Connecticut, Colorado, Maine, Nevada, Vermont and Oregon that have implemented similar bans.
Smith said that while the Southampton school district will not be directly affected by this ban, the Shinnecock children who attend public school will still feel its positive ripples. He applauded the state for implementing this ban, and said it will help the emotional well being of all Indigenous children across the state.
“I think it will impact districts and native children across the country that may not be in a school with a native mascot. I think it's going to affect the whole entire country,” he said. “And it's important for our cultures and for the children to be seen and heard in the proper way.”
This story was updated to remove New Hampshire from the list of states that have implemented laws banning the use of Native American names and imagery.
