Delaware H.S. Will Not Remove Indian Nickname

July 10, 2012 /
DelMarVaNow.com, Sam Spiegelman

http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20120710/DW01/207100324

DAGSBORO — A recent request to remove the Indians as the name and mascot of the Indian River School District was unanimously rejected by the Board of Education.

Since 1967, the name has been synonymous with the school and the region’s history. Never before have school administrators heard an objection to the name, and one complaint will not be enough to prompt change.

“I went through high school and played sports (at Indian River High School), and what the mascot is and what it represents — that’s what people need to take a look at,” Indian River Principal Mark Steele said. “We push pride, character, respect and honor, which we all thought were characteristics of the Native American people.”

Steele has been associated with Indian River schools for 31 years, as a teacher, assistant principal and principal. He attended Indian River High School when the name was chosen and has never heard a complaint before.

That was until Ocean View resident Lloyd Elling suggested the name was racist and proposed it be removed. IRSD Board of Education President Charlie Bireley said members of the community were overwhelmingly opposed.

“Every person who was contacted was in favor (of retaining the name),” Bireley said. “The Indian is a sign of respect. It’s been that way for almost 50 years and there isn’t a need to change it.”

What it symbolizes

In a letter to the editor, Elling argued the mascot teaches students “how to stereotype a group of people on the basis of race, religion, ancestry and cultural ethnicity.”

But in Indian River schools, the eight components of enhancing learning are listed on the Indian chief’s feathers. According to Steele, it represents Native Americans in a more virtuous light.

“We tie it into our instructional focus,” Steele said. “We push the fact we are the Indians. We uphold strong honor, character and respect, something very dear and important to us.”

The sense of pride that has become synonymous with Indian River values has also been adopted by the school’s athletic department.

The Indian mascot has symbolized the goals of the school district’s sports teams for generations. And the meaning goes deeper than just a logo, according to Indian River athletic director Todd Fuhrmann.

“We’ve made the tradition synonymous with Indian River athletics,” Fuhrmann said. “It means pride, not just a name or a logo. Pride is a family to be part of, and moving forward we’re going to stress that within the athletic community.”

Athletes, both at the professional and high school level, are high-profile figures, and logos and names are constantly debated.

Professional teams like the Washington Redskins, the Atlanta Braves and the Cleveland Indians, as well as colleges such as the Florida State Seminoles, have faced protests. And the National Congress of American Indians in Washington, D.C., has been one of the foremost adversaries.

“The use of Native American sports mascots, logos or symbols perpetuates stereotypes of American Indians that are very harmful,” the NCAI released in a statement.

But the Nanticoke Indian tribe doesn’t find the mascot offensive, according to chief Herman Robbins.

Elling approached the tribe about his dissatisfaction, but Robbins said the Indian is fitting for Indian River.

“The (Wilmington High School) Red Devils is more offensive,” Robbins said. “Red devil is someone evil and wicked. We are not taking sides with (Elling). We don’t find it offensive.”

A sense of pride

Indian River football coach Ray Steele has taught and coached in the district for 36 years. He thinks Elling has no ground to stand on.

He was on the student committee when the name was chosen decades ago, and said the Indian was chosen for a specific reason.

“We selected it because we thought it embodied all the things we wanted our athletes to represent — bravery, integrity, honesty. It’s not demeaning, ” Steele said. “We’re proud of our local Indian tribes. We name buildings after people, streets after people. We’re using this mascot to represent all the good things we want our kids to represent.”

During summer workouts, Steele said his athletes came into the weight room every morning distraught at the idea of a different mascot.

What’s added to their sentiment is that they don’t understand how the Indians can be conceived as offensive, he said. And because they are the second and third generations of Indian River students, they want to have the same pride in their school as their parents had.

“We teach these kids to be proud of their school. The school is always part of their past. It’s been Indian River Indians for 45 years. We’re talking generations,” Steele said. “(In the fall), it’s very important for those kids to have those Indian logos on their uniforms.”


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