Nicknames and Mascots, Part 1: What’s in a Name?

Jan Plotczyk • March 2, 2021

Since last summer, two professional sports teams have decided to change their team name and mascot. Because of the money and fan pushback involved, these decisions were not made lightly, but were the right thing to do.

In July — during the Black Lives Matter racial equality demonstrations in response to the police killing of George Floyd — the Washington D.C. franchise of the National Football League abandoned its offensive name and logo, after years of obstinately ignoring public and Native American pressure to do so.

In December, the Cleveland Indians Major League baseball team announced its intention to find another name by the 2022 season; the team's insulting caricature mascot has been retired since 2019.

And while the Atlanta Braves baseball organization has declared they will not trade in their name, they claim they are studying just how odious the trademark Tomahawk Chop cheer is.

Professional sports teams are not the only athletic teams to adopt Native American nicknames, and not the only ones to discontinue their use. In the 1960s, inspired by the civil rights movement, the National Indian Youth Council began organizing on campuses to remove Native American stereotypes in nicknames, mascots, and imagery. Several schools traded in their Indigenous nicknames as a result of these actions.

Then in 2005, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced a policy that would prohibit NCAA member colleges and universities from displaying hostile and abusive racial/ethnic/national origin mascots, nicknames, or imagery at any of the 88 NCAA championships. This policy took effect in 2008.

Nineteen teams were cited as having potentially "hostile or abusive" names, mascots, or images. Twelve of these schools removed all references to Indigenous culture, changing their nicknames to that of intimidating wildlife like Red Wolves and Warhawks. Two were judged, upon review, not to have references to Native American culture as part of their athletics programs. Five schools were granted waivers from the policy, as they had established relationships with and received permission from applicable Native American tribes for use of the names and imagery. An additional five non-NCAA postsecondary institutions are keeping their Native American nicknames.

At the elementary and secondary levels, the Maryland State Department of Education endorsed a resolution by the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs in 2001 encouraging schools to stop using names and mascots with stereotypical references. At that time, about half the state’s 26 schools with such references made changes. Advocates are hoping that a renewed national focus on race and racism will encourage the other schools to make changes.

Where do the high schools on the Eastern Shore stand on this issue? MascotDB, a database of all school nicknames and mascots in the country, reveals that out of 32 public and private (non-technical) high schools in the nine Eastern Shore counties, five have nicknames appropriated from Native culture:

North East High School Indians, Cecil County
Easton High School Warriors, Talbot County
Mardela Middle & High School Warriors, Wicomico County
Wicomico High School Indians, Salisbury, Wicomico County
Pocomoke High School Warriors, Worcester County

An email requesting information about plans for community discussions about these high school nicknames was sent to the county education administrative offices.

North East High School does not emphasize their Indians nickname on their website. The school logo incorporates an arrowhead along with the letters N and E. Sports teams are called the Indians, and the team name and arrowhead logo appear on the uniforms. In the 2019-20 school year, there were four American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students enrolled.

An email from Kelly Keeton, public information officer for Cecil County Public Schools, reported: “The name, mascot, and logo of North East High School was something on which we worked with the North East/Cecil County community in 2008. Our location is rich in Native American history and we wanted to ensure that the reference to that with North East High was something that honored that, not something that was offensive in any way. The school worked with numerous groups and local citizens including those representing their Native American lineage. The consensus of all involved was that the reference was something that honored the history and heritage of the community. The logo was changed to what you see today of the arrowhead and compass. This is not something that has come up as a concern from the community for further discussion since that work.”

The Easton High School website proclaims EHS the “Home of the Warriors.” Arrowhead imagery and the Warriors name is used on sports uniforms. An email from the Talbot County Public Schools Superintendent Kelly Griffith, EdD, said that, “Changes were made to eliminate the ‘Native American warrior head’ as the logo several years ago. All have been eliminated.” In the 2019-20 school year, there were two AI/AN students enrolled.

The Mardela Middle and High School Warriors use various imagery to illustrate their choice of a Native American nickname. The sign in front of the school is decorated with a Native American chief in full feather headdress. The school seal incorporates a profile of a Native warrior with feathers. The school logo is the letter M with an arrow. The name and imagery are used on sports uniforms. In the 2019-20 school year, there was one AI/AN student enrolled.

Wicomico High School is “Home of the Indians.” A warrior head image is used in places, but seen more often is the logo with the letter W with a headband and two feathers. The school website displays the logo along with the slogans “One Tribe” and “Indian Nation.” The team name and imagery are used on sports uniforms. In the 2019-20 school year, there were four AI/AN students enrolled.

An email from Tracy Sahler, public information officer for Wicomico County Public Schools explained: "In years past when this topic has been raised for consideration, it has been our practice to bring together school officials and representatives of local Native American tribes to review and discuss all aspects and viewpoints of this issue. At Wicomico High School, for example, this collaborative process has in the past included a thorough evaluation of any Native American imagery or wording in use, with updates as needed. The process has also involved representatives of local Native American tribes presenting at the school to help students, staff and the community better connect the name of the Wicomico High Indians with the history and culture of Native Americans in Wicomico County and the area. (Wicomico County is one of only two Maryland counties with a Native American name, and a profile image of a Native American is on both the county seal and county flag.) These efforts were well received by all who participated, including staff, students and local Native Americans.

"The most recent time this topic was discussed, it was the preference of the tribal representatives that the school continue to use the Indians’ name and appropriate imagery as part of maintaining awareness of the heritage and culture of local Native American tribes. A similar discussion took place in the Mardela Middle and High school community.

"As a school system, we are open to revisiting this topic with representatives of local Native American tribes, and have reached out to see if there is an interest in a renewed dialog. There has not been a formal decision or discussion on the topic at this time."

The Pocomoke High School website contains many Native American references and images to illustrate their Warriors identity. The school logo is a profile Native American chief in full feather headdress. PHS is the “Warrior Nation.” There are “Warrior Ways to Success” and a “Warrior Code.” The website provides a long paragraph about Pocomoke’s proud Algonquin heritage, and an explanation about the peaceful and cooperative interactions with White traders and settlers in the area that seems inconsistent with the bellicose nickname.

An email from Carrie Sterrs with the Worcester County Public Schools Public Relations Office explains: “At this time, there has not been conversation in our community regarding the nickname and imagery for Pocomoke High School. While there are not currently scheduled plans for this conversation, the leadership of Worcester County Public Schools is certainly open to having this discussion with our school system community should there be a desire to do so.” In the 2019-20 school year, there were no AI/AN students enrolled.

* * * * *

So, do Native American nicknames and images honor Indigenous cultures, or are they racist appropriations that knowingly or unwittingly perpetuate stereotypes? We’ll continue this discussion in Part 2.

Sources:

Resolution of the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs, https://aistm.org/maryland.resolution.2001.htm

MascotDB, https://www.mascotdb.com/lists/native-american-related-mascots

National Center for Education Statistics, Search for Public Schools, https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/

Jan Plotczyk spent 25 years as a survey and education statistician with the federal government, at the Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. She retired to Rock Hall.

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