Lebanon and Philomath school officials will meet Tuesday with representatives from the Oregon Department of Education in Salem to discuss depictions of American Indians as school mascots.

High school teams in both cities are known as “Warriors,” and both show an American Indian as their logo. The two districts are among 15 asked to be present at the meeting.

ODE spokesman Gene Evans said the meeting was prompted by a presentation from high school student Che Butler, a member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz, who asked the Oregon Board of Education to require high schools to ban the use of Indian mascots and nicknames.

State Superintendent Susan Castillo formed an advisory group to research the issue. That group is now seeking comments from districts, Evans said.

Evans said the discussion deals strictly with names and mascots at public high schools, not middle or elementary schools or teams sponsored by Boys and Girls Clubs or other organizations.

That still leaves plenty of room for questions, however, he said. For instance, Aloha High School uses the name “Warriors” but its image of a mascot is a man in traditional Hawaiian dress, he said. “Does that fall into this?”

Some districts have asked whether other nationalities, such as the “Fighting Irish” of Waldport High School, should be stricken from use, but those questions aren’t being studied by this committee, Evans said.

The committee will make a recommendation sometime following the meeting, Evans said. That recommendation could be anything from an outright ban to leaving names as they are, requiring tribal input or allowing local school boards to decide.

Butler, a student at Taft High School in Lincoln City, has said he made the presentation to the state because of the behavior of a mascot at a basketball game at Molalla. Molalla’s mascot is the Indians.

The Oregon School Activities Association, which has been invited to be a part of this meeting, has no specific ruling on American Indian mascots.

At the college level, the NCAA discourages the use of American Indian mascots unless special circumstances apply, such as approval of a local tribe.

In 2001, the United States Commission on Civil Rights called for an end to the use of American Indian images and team names by non-native schools, saying their use is “insensitive and should be avoided.”

DH Reader Comments

The comments below are from readers of democratherald.com and in no way represent the views of the Democrat Herald or Lee Enterprises.

LebanonNoNames wrote on Oct 17, 2007 2:15 PM: " You have GOT to be kidding me!!! Next, the humane society will want to ban using dogs. There is such a thing as going overboard on the PC thing, and this is one of those instances. I was proud to graduate from LHS, but will hang my head in shame if they have to change our beloved mascot. I would think warriers stand for pride and strength, not whining. " please wrote on Oct 17, 2007 2:54 PM: " give me a break this is all a bunch of bull. " NoMoreIndianMascots wrote on Oct 17, 2007 3:14 PM: " Real Indian warriors know how to spell. " Wheredoesitend wrote on Oct 17, 2007 3:20 PM: " And where does this question end...as stated in the article, where do you draw the line... I think if they force one school to stop using the image of a particular person they should not allow any uses... Cowboys, Irish, Rebels, fisherman, braves, loggers, cavemen, cavaliers, highlanders, raiders, quakers (all are OR high school mascots) to name just a few. If we are going to allow one group to call the shots, we should take out all mascots that represent a person of any type to be fair..isnt that the true definition of equality and not discriminating. With that said, over 18 high schools in Oregon have names related to native americans, if you force one to change then you must force them all! " Honor wrote on Oct 17, 2007 3:24 PM: " The American Indians should be honored that a high school wants to use them as their mascot. This is such bullonee. I can't stand when someone has to whine because they think someone is picking on them because of their race,creed,sexual preference. Are the schools that have Eagles as their mascot going to have to change because its offencive to all of the non native people of the US. " JK wrote on Oct 17, 2007 3:58 PM: " I was wondering where this is all going to end too. What about the South Albany Rebels? Is that political incorrect too? " just a thought wrote on Oct 17, 2007 4:51 PM: " I do agree that it is an honor to be depicted in this way, but I'm not native american, so perhaps I am wrong there. As a side note as I read the article, I could not help wondering what will happen to the $25,000 (no not a typo-- twenty five thousand dollar) "sculptre" on the front of the building if the warrior is no longer used. " oh Bother wrote on Oct 17, 2007 4:57 PM: " When talking to a American Indian friend about this situation. She told me , that if she attended our school she would be proud to have the "Warrior" mascot. She would be telling everyone that "'Hey, that's me'". I Think you cannot make everyone happy and if you get rid of one, you have to get rid of them all. Just like Wheredoesitend said. The Florida Seminoles represent a team in Florida and like doing it. Not all people see everything the same, not even Native Americans, or as some like to be called Indians. One tribe, or Nation shouldn't speak for all, what about the rest of us who are proud of our Indian ancestors,however small, or should we only be proud of the "white" part of our ancestry because we might offend? " Barefoot wrote on Oct 17, 2007 5:03 PM: " Umm... there is a reason schools chose "Indian" names for mascots and "screaming head", "tomahawk waving" logos let's not pretend most of them were not offensive. If they had all been positive, there would not have been this fuss. Cowboys, cavemen, rebels, loggers (etc) aren't races, and it it would be prudent not to use any ("fighting Irish") ("Drunken Quakers"). ETC. " warriorgrad wrote on Oct 17, 2007 9:13 PM: " This whole thing is crappy. Just because one kid, in one school district, isn't happy doesn't mean the whole state should change. Besides, it's not like the warriors are the "Redskins." " Kristi B. wrote on Oct 17, 2007 11:58 PM: " They should seek input from local tribes. That's the fair and kind thing to do. " Jeff wrote on Oct 18, 2007 6:57 AM: " Why is it dicrimination when a school (with a mainly white population) uses a mascot like the warriors, and not discrimination if a tribal school uses it? If local tribe approval is needed, why would Lebanon be affected when the complaint came from Siletz? I do not have any indian ancestors but do have Irish and support Waldport's use of their mascot. " Father John wrote on Oct 18, 2007 6:59 AM: " Anyone who parrots the meaningless "politically correct" buzzwords negates anything else they may have to say. Anyone who does not know the difference between animals, vocations, and ethnic groups certainly does not understand the serious educational and stereotyping concerns this issue involves. A significant number of respected, responsible organizations have expressed support for retiring outdated, stereotypical "Indian" sports team tokens. Such groups, to name a few, include the National Congress of American Indians, the American Psychological Association, the NAACP, the National Education Association, the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, and the American Counseling Association. Anyone who believes their own opinions are more credible than the views held by such organizations show they don't let the facts get in the way. " Reader wrote on Oct 18, 2007 7:55 AM: " Wow, I can't believe how far this PC garbage is going. When I think of a warrior I think of someone strong, determined proud, honorable and brave. I do not think of it in any way as negative. I cannot believe the Native Americans of this country have taken offense to the honor bestowed upon them by being chosen as the image for this title. Yes there are warriors in every culture, but how many have put up with what the Native Americans have? Europeans came here and took the lands and reduced the numbers and took away the cultures of these people and now schools put up the image of a Native American riding on his horse dressed in "battle attire" or the image of the head dress. Schools undoubtedly use the WARRIOR name as a symbol of strength, honor, pride, determination and bravery and this group is offended by the fact that their likeness is used to fit that description. It simply amazes me. I can understand wanted to do away with the negative terms associated with ANY heritage or culture. I guess the only thing left in the PC world is for P.E.T.A. to step in and say that it is very distasteful to use ANY animal's image in connection with school functions as it indicates violence involving animals or toward animals. What would the Bulldogs mascot be without the spike collar? When will other groups get on the cases of schools like CV for using "Raiders"? Can you picture a school in Salem having to change their name because a group of immigrants didn't like being referred to as Celts? Or the Vikings etc... I went to LHS as did my husband, his family and our children. And if they change the mascot, it would not ever be the same. I can see it now "THE LEBANON ??? What a great way to honor your schools. " Johnny Reb wrote on Oct 18, 2007 8:03 AM: " If we are going to take the tribal names out of the schools, then we need to get rid of the South Albany Rebels which has a Confederate Solider as their mascot and if you all can recall in your history books, the Rebels rebelled because they wanted to keep slavery and the government told them no so they left the Union. I think this is just stupid. " PublicPlaces wrote on Oct 18, 2007 8:44 AM: " I guess we'll all have to find something that is un-offensive to everyone. HMMMMMM, the Lebanon Beans. The South Albany Pansies. Nope, some horticultural group will no doubt take offense. The Sweet Home Blues. The Philomath Mauves. Nope, can't go to colors lest some poor school be stuck with black or white. Do you see how ridiculous this argument is? To change a school's mascot is to cut a slash right through it's spirit. This is high school people, and mascots and school pride should be the least of concerns....they do not promote sex, or drugs, or even violence. It is the student body's identity they are trying to strip. Just grow up and get over it. " Exiled wrote on Oct 18, 2007 11:41 AM: " Lebanon High School: "The Fighting Board Members." Or maybe, "The Fighting Attorneys." The artwork can be replaced by a huge bronze guy with a suitcase. Oh, but the gender would have to be ambiguous. We can't have a MALE mascot! That would be unfair and demeaning to the FEMALES. " Chokum wrote on Oct 18, 2007 3:14 PM: " Indians, Warriors, Braves are all worthy of respect and emulation. If there are problems with emblems, logos, or slogans then ccorrect them rather than creating a bigger problem. The Superintendent of Education is a politician who wants the politically correct answer. She will want to avoid even the slightest possibility of being accused as having an ethnic bias. The best way to find out what people of Oregon think is to conduct a survey. There would be an upfront cost. There'd be no points for any politician or special interest group but the results would honestly reflect opinions of Oregonians. (Assuming neutrality of survey questions of course. " Arthur wrote on Oct 18, 2007 5:18 PM: " "There is no honor in RACISIM" " Arthur wrote on Oct 18, 2007 5:21 PM: " PublicPlaces wrote on Oct 18, 2007 8:44 AM: " I guess we'll all have to find something that is un-offensive to everyone. Offensive! Your a fool to believe that we should keep on letting racist bigots use us as mascots. " mavis wrote on Oct 19, 2007 5:41 AM: " i think the name of the team should reflect what the goals of school are EDUCATION so why not rename them the SCHOLARS " PublicPlaces wrote on Oct 19, 2007 8:48 AM: " OK then, Lebanon Non Discriminatory Non Denominational Colorless Nameless Nothings. Is that bland enough for you? " to PP wrote on Oct 19, 2007 10:59 AM: " Why are your only options racist or bland? And the debate here is what the mascots look like, not just the name. " ProNative wrote on Oct 20, 2007 2:49 AM: " Being a Native American, I can say, strip you schools of all Native American imagery and leave us and our culture alone in peace. Our culture and imagery is not available for anyone's amuzement. We don't recognize mainstream honor as honorable. The only honor that is acceptable is the honor given in the sacred circle by our elders. As it stands now, you honor the Native American warrior as someone honorable, but who did that warrior fight long ago during the "Indian Wars" in defense of our ancient tribal lands?" The Europeans. The Colonists. The Federal Government. I guess in a way we should Thank-You for your continued support against our aggressors! So if you, Euro-Americans, want to honor us for our continued fight against our aggressor, so be it. But I will say this, no tribes in their right minds will honor our aggressor for trying to exterminate us! That's why many tribes wonder and laugh at mainstream society and ask, why would mainstream society honor us for fighting against them? " PHSGrad wrote on Oct 21, 2007 3:57 PM: " I am a 2005 grad of Philomath, third generation and I am proud to say that I AM A WARRIOR. I could understand this argument if there was disrespect going on towards these names and mascots. However, I know that people were proud to be called warriors. We worked hard out on the athletic fields and in the class rooms. We took nothing but pride in being and representing Warriors. As an LHS grad said, I would also be very disappointed and sad if the beloved mascot of my high school was change. I am proud to say that I am a Warrior. My sister and cousins were Warriors. My parents were both Warriors. My grandma was even a PHS grad. Why stop a tradition that is not harmful, but actually honorary in nature? " Nita wrote on Oct 22, 2007 12:29 PM: " Mascots perpetuate bigotry; degrade us as human beings. My son's high school hall way depicted a hatchet buried in a cartoon "Indian warrior's" skull with the words, "Kill the Indians." I stood in the hallway not believing my eyes...my son begged me not to "make a scene" but admitted it was a shameful depiction of American Indian culture. " Chris wrote on Oct 25, 2007 2:11 PM: " I think it should be ok to have an indian mascot. " Nonicknames wrote on Oct 25, 2007 3:19 PM: " I think that people should ban indians as there mascots because, if they run aroud like a maniac then it is just saying that they are crazy and wild. If the are respective of them then it would be no problem. " nomore! wrote on Nov 8, 2007 11:13 AM: " you should stop the indian niknames "

*Member ID: *Password: Remember login? (requires cookies)   You must be logged in to comment. It's free and quick!