Maine has became the first state to ban Native American public school mascots.
Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, signed the controversial bill banning the use of Native American mascots, names, and imagery into law last week, citing the “pain and anguish” Native American mascots have caused members of Maine’s indigenous population, according to CBS 13 WGME.
“While Indian mascots were often originally chosen to recognize and honor a school’s unique connection to Native American communities in Maine, we have heard clearly and unequivocally from Maine tribes that they are a source of pain and anguish,” Mills explained at the signing ceremony, surrounded by members of the state’s various Native American tribes.
“A mascot is a symbol of pride, but it is not the source of pride,” she added. “Our people, communities and understanding and respect for one another are Maine’s source of pride, and it is time our symbols reflect that.”
According to the text of the bill, “A public school may not have or adopt a name, symbol or image that depicts or refers to a Native American tribe, individual, custom or tradition and that is used as a mascot, nickname, logo, letterhead or team name of the school.”
The bill, initially proposed by state Rep. Benjamin Collings, D-Portland, was hotly contested on the floor of the legislature and passed along party lines. State Republicans argued against the bill on the grounds that it would deprive local school boards of autonomy in choosing mascots.
The move came in the wake of other notable attempts in the state to erase mascots and holidays deemed offensive to indigenous communities.
Two months ago the Skowhegan school board voted to eliminate its “Indians” nickname at its local high school — the last instance of a Native American public school mascot in the state.
Last month, Mills signed a bill replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day, also surrounded by representatives of the state’s Native American communities.
One of the tribes which had supported the latest bill indicated they were pleased with the law.
“Today and [from] now on, it is our collective responsibility to the next generations to promote each other as equals, as individuals, and most importantly, as neighbors,” Rena Newell, a nonvoting tribal representative for the Passamaquoddy Tribe from Pleasant Point, said.
Newell said the law is the “start of a higher trust of promoting cultural diversity and awareness.” Previously, the Passamaquoddy Tribe had criticized Mills’ decision to join a Washington state lawsuit against tribal water rights in 2018, during her tenure as the state’s attorney general.
The mascot law is slated to go into effect later this year.
In recent years there’s been no shortage of cases where universities, high schools, and middle schools have willingly dropped their mascots over concerns that they are “racist” or “offensive” to certain minority groups, especially Native Americans.
This month California State University, Long Beach, voted on a replacement for its “Prospector Pete” mascot (which the university had proudly sported since its founding in 1949) over concerns the mascot celebrated the Gold Rush, which the university publicly described as “a time in history when the indigenous peoples of California endured subjugation, violence and threats of genocide.”
Troy Worden is a recent graduate in English and philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was president of the Berkeley College Republicans in 2017.
