by Dana Hess for S.D. Newspaper Association
PIERRE — At its meeting in January, the South Dakota High School Activities Association Board of Directors will vote on the first reading of a resolution asking member schools to consider not using stereotypical Indian imagery and Indian mascots.
The proposal comes from Roger Bordeaux of the Tiospa Zina Tribal School and the Native American at-large representative on the SDHSAA board.
Bordeaux sent a PowerPoint presentation to board members as well as all member schools detailing the negative impact that Indian mascots can have on Native American students.
The resolution cites examples of that harm from the American Psychological Association, the American Sociological Association and the White House Initiative on American Indian/Alaska Native Education.
The resolution concludes “it is very clear that Indian mascots, and any representation of stereotypical Indian imagery not only cause harm to American Indian youth, but moreover, such imagery is not suitable for educational settings which aim to foster healthy psychological development and/or student self-actualization.”
Throughout the discussion at their meeting Wednesday, board members emphasized that the resolution is in no way binding on school districts but is meant to start a discussion about the use of Native American school mascots.
“This is a very good discussion for us to be having,” said board chairman Jason Uttermark of Aberdeen.
Board member Steve Morford of Spearfish noted that a similar discussion had already taken place in the Winner School District where the school nickname was the Warriors. He said the school district kept the nickname but changed away from a Native American warrior as their symbol.
A search of South Dakota high schools found 16 with mascot names that might be considered offensive according to the SDHSAA resolution. Those schools include the Bennett County Warriors, the Britton-Hecla Braves, the Castlewood Warriors, the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Braves, the Crazy Horse Chiefs, the Crow Creek Chieftains, the Estelline Redmen, the Iroquois Chiefs, the Lower Brule Sioux, the Marty Indian School Braves, the St. Francis Indian School Warriors, the Sisseton Redmen, the Wakpala Sioux, the Sioux Falls Washington Warriors, the Watertown Arrows and the Woonsocket Redmen.
The first reading of the resolution will be on the SDHSAA Board’s Jan. 13, 2016, agenda.
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