FIGHTING INDIANS Documentary: A People Unconquered

Dwayne Tomah speaks in the Passamoquoddy language to the school board: "I'm not feeling honored."
Source: still from video Skowhegan Mascot Public Forum Jan 2019 by Somerset Community TV 11.

Last night we saw the premiere of a documentary about the successful struggle to retire the last "Indian" school mascot in Maine. 

The Maine International Film Festival (MIFF24) presented FIGHTING INDIANS by Skowhegan High School alums Mark Cooley and Derek Ellis as a work-in-progress, but it is pretty nearly finished.

Full disclosure: I watched the film with special interest as I knew it was likely I would appear at some point, and we sat with one of the cinematographers, John Harlow, and his family. His late father Doug Harlow's byline on a newspaper article was one of many poignant images for me. So was seeing my great-niece Leah Savage speaking at a public forum accompanied by her sister Sydalia. Ditto seeing my former student and neighbor Sikwani Dana as a young girl testifying to how hard it is to grow up Native in central Maine.

Source: still from video Skowhegan Mascot Public Forum Jan 2019 by Somerset Community TV 11.

Her sister Maulian Dana and their dad Barry carry the film's narrative, appropriately enough since they led the years long retirement drive. Maulian works as the Ambassador of the Penobscot Nation and Barry is a chief who served the tribe years ago in that capacity. John Bear Mitchell, also Penobscot and a professor at the University of Maine campus built on land ceded by the tribe, was a third strong voice in the film. Dwayne Tomah, a Passamoquoddy language and culture keeper who gifted us with a gathering song as a special treat before the screening, was a rare treat; his appearance in full regalia to speak in Passamoquoddy to the school board in 2019 was riveting and an anchor for the film. 

I know all these people, so I'm not an impartial reviewer.

The filmmakers skillfully built their story from a huge trove of material, and they made the bold decision to include the context of struggles to retire professional sports "Indian" mascots and team names. Also the land theft, massacres, child removal, and tokenization Native people have endured since Columbus raped his way into the "New" World. It's a big topic and maybe the film is a little too long, but not much. For the final edit I'd advise cutting some of the sports journalists' remarks and some of the background material on the Washington DC football team's efforts to buy influence with Native people nationwide.

Strong use of social media posts by the Skowhegan "Indian Pride" group and its supporters told the tale that interviews could not -- because few would agree to be interviewed for the project. Still, we heard from them plenty in videos of school board meetings and public forums. An excellent example was a young woman who claims Native ancestry and who played a drum so ignorantly that it elicited face palms of embarassment for her from the actual Natives in the audience.

Because you can't just paint your face or put feathers in your hair or play a drum and become "Indian" -- and that is the main point of the film. 

In Maine, Wabanaki people -- an umbrella term for the five remaining tribes -- explain that seeing things sacred to their ceremonies being ignorantly misused is painful. Their identity can't be faked; it has to be learned from infancy, through practice, and we see a bit of this in the film.

FIGHTING INDIANS includes my testimony to the school board at a public forum in February, 2019. I had permission from Maulian to read some of the nasty, misogynist, racist slurs and threats against her from comments on social media. She wanted the school board to hear the reality giving lie to the ubiquitous claim that the school mascot "honored" Native people. One of the comments I shared: "We conquered them and can use them however we like."

But the Wabanaki have survived attempted genocide, and are a people unconquered. 

Source: still from video Barry Dana - Wigwam at the Univ. of Maine, Orono

Twelve thousand years of continuous existence in what's now called Maine makes them a people determined to survive in order to honor their ancestors who endured slaughter and child abuse at the hands of the state.

Kudos to Ellis and Cooley. This is an important film, a landmark in Maine history. I had not anticipated how much the audience would laugh during this film about difficult truths, but it seemed appropriate because humor is a strong element in Wabanaki culture. Maybe even a survival strategy?

Appropriately for a theatre full of activists, we were sent home with an action item: call Gov. Janet Mills and urge her to sign legislation honoring the sovereignty of Maine's Native governments. Contact info for the Governor: 207-287-3531 or email using her contact form. 

FIGHTING INDIANS can be seen again tonight (July 11, 2021) at the Skowhegan Drive-in as MIFF24 continues. Tickets are available here. 

Happy Indigenous People's Day And Congrats Skowhegan High School River Hawks

For a long time I taught high school Ancient World Studies beginning with the indigenous presence here in Wabanaki territory that dates back at least 12,000 years. It seemed like a fitting place to start the study of what happened before colonial settler cultures from Europe began their attempted genocide of the Native tribes of the continents that became known as the Americas. 

My school always had some Native students despite false claims by some staff and school board directors who wanted to pretend that we were all white and therefore there was no racism. (You can unpack that argument if you want to.) I began to realize how virulent the white supremacy of northern New England was as I read through old newspaper articles about Native issues and, especially, the comments. Wow those comments. The nastiest of stereotypes about Native people were offered as evidence that they could never exercise sovereignty while ignoring the fact that several tribes were still continuously doing exactly that right here in Maine.

It was good preparation for engaging as an ally in the battle to retire the last school mascot in my state that made derogatory reference to indigenous people. Starting back at least as far as 1999, Native leaders in Maine had been asking Skowhegan High School to retire its pretendian mascot. Revived periodically until 2019, their demand attracted more nastiness, death threats, ugly slurs and overt expressions of racism. Change leader Maulian Dana, ambassador from the Penobscot Nation to the State of Maine, described some of it in a TEDxDirigo talk.

A blog post I wrote conveying my sister Hope's testimony to the school board was one of my most read posts ever -- currently at 8,106 views -- describing how she listened to Native people saying they and their children found pretendian mascots and Halloween costumes degrading. She described other cartoonish figures of racial prejudice that had long since fallen from favor because people listened to the impacted communities. 

Sisters Leah & Sydalia Savage and Natalie Cooke are student athletes who asked their school board to change the team name back in 2019.

Our great-nieces took a stand for changing a team name that had embarrassed student athletes for years. A family project that I know my dad, a former Skowhegan High School athlete whose letter sweater I often wore to school board meetings, would have endorsed.

"Hope Savage, right, gestures as she speaks about Skowhegan Area High School using Indian as the school mascot on Monday. Her sister, Lisa, is at left. The Savages and others are urging the school board to cease using Indian as the school mascot." Source: Waterville Morning Sentinel

After a few years teaching about ancient cultures and their reflection in modern life, I was approached by a former student who is Penobscot and wanted to celebrate Indigenous People's Day on the Monday holiday still known then as Genocidal Maniac Day. She wanted to gather other students for a teach-in and the principal had said she needed a faculty member sponsor. Now a high school teacher herself, she organized her mom who was serving on the school board and her dad Barry, a former chief of the Penobscot Nation, to help as IPD educators. We learned outdoors that day as is the Native way, and took a field trip to a collection of indigenous artifacts collected by a Passamoquoddy tribal member.

Many years later, here we are celebrating IPD as a state along with 14 others. Learning opportunities today in Maine include these featured in the Portland Press Herald's coverage about our newish holiday:

These events are scheduled online to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2020:

• The ACLU of Maine and the Wabanaki Alliance will host a free educational webinar at noon Monday on “The Sovereignty and the Maine Tribes: Where We Are and What Comes Next.” Go to aclumaine.org for more information and to register for a Zoom link.

• The Upstander Project will offer free online screenings from 8 to 10 p.m. Monday of “Dawnland,” a film about the formation of the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission; and “Dear Georgiana,” a film about a Passamaquoddy elder’s journey to understand her removal from her native community at age 2 by child protective services. The event will include a live panel discussion with the filmmaker and question-and-answer period. Go to upstanderproject.org to register.

I was in college in Brunswick when children were being removed from their Native families by the State of Maine. Many were consigned to abusive foster homes and nearly all lost connection with their cultural heritage. As a US history major, why was I not taught about this?

Our education is our own responsibility, ultimately. I've kept listening and learning and today I hope to do the same.

Barry Dana and I at one of many, many board meetings in MSAD #54. The person behind us is a Skowhegan police officer, present because threats of violence against Native people were a consistent theme during the mascot retirement struggle. Photo credit: Jeff Kirlin

Running for the US Senate seat currently held by Susan Collins under Maine's fairly new system of ranked choice voting has been a learning experience second to none. One of my earliest endorsements came from Barry Dana, who wrote:

"Lisa became in my opinion one of the hardest working allies to the Tribes. She continually gave testimony before the board requesting they comply with Tribes' request to drop their offensive mascot, nickname, and imagery. She also presented testimony before the Maine state legislature in our successful effort to create a statewide law prohibiting offensive mascots. Lisa played a huge role in this victory for which I am forever thankful." 

Maine House Passes Ban On Native Mascots, School Board Set To Say No Referendum

Yesterday the Maine House passed LD 944, An act to ban Native American mascots in all schools by a large margin, 88-54. 

Associated Press picked up the story which I saw in U.S. News & World Report including this local news: 

The Maine Education Department has urged schools to refrain from using mascots and logos depicting Native Americans. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and several tribal leaders have said Skowhegan's former mascot "Indians" harmed Native Americans. 

 
The school retired the nickname last month.

The action on this bill now moves to the Maine Senate.

Senate Democrats have an easy to use contact form for each senator. You can copy and paste your message into each senator's contact form to save time. The vote in the House was largely along party lines, with the notable exception of Democrat Rep. Betty Austin of Skowhegan who not only voted against the bill but spoke against it prior to voting.

Austin came out in favor of local control. Folks who know her call her a "nice lady" who was once their children's bus driver. Several have noted that she was under "a lot of pressure" which I'm pretty sure means she has been harassed and threatened by Skowhegan I#$%*# Pride members who have been doing the same to me and my sister since we spoke publicly in favor of retirement.

SIP will be on hand Thursday night for a school board meeting which will consider their request to hold referendums in the six towns of the district, MSAD 54. The meeting at 7pm at the Skowhegan Area Middle School will consider a petition submitted with allegedly thousands of unverified signatures asking for a referendum to overturn the March 7 vote to "respectfully retire" the mascot.



It is unlikely the board will vote to undermine their own authority by holding a non-binding referendum on a topic they have thoroughly researched and considered before rendering their decision. On January 8 they listened for three hours at a public forum on the mascot (video of that meeting can be seen here).

Supporters of a new sports name/nickname/mascot are asked to wear red as a show of silent solidarity with the March 7 decision. 

Andrew Bourassa: Scalp Towel Gets To The Heart Of Why We Need State Leadership On Mascots

Overflow turnout at yesterday's public hearing for Maine's bill to ban Native mascots in public schools produced seven speakers in opposition to the bill and at least twice that many in favor. LD 944 now proceeds to a work session (not yet scheduled) before the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs votes on whether or not to recommend passage of the bill by the full legislature.

Andrew Bourassa, Early Childhood Education Coach at KVCAP Child & Family Services which operates MSAD 54's preK programs, had the quote of the day when he told the Education committee:

"The scalp towel gets to the heart of why we need state leadership on mascots."



Bourassa also noted that "local control is surpassed by civil rights" and that Skowhegan "needs the government to be the adult in the room."

Some context for his remarks was muted when the committee chair asked the previous speaker, Mark Roman of Solon, to refrain from repeating examples of hate talk aimed at Maulian and Barry Dana, Penobscot Indians who have led the successful effort to retire Skowhegan's Native mascot. "We will read them," Rep. Victoria Kornfield told Roman after interrupting him to ask if it was desirable to amplify hate speech. 

This gave Roman a chance to model the very thing that mascot changers in Skowhegan have been teaching all along: if someone says your actions harm them, listen -- and be willing to change.

Both Kornfield and my wonderful husband spoke respectfully to each other and resolved their disagreement.

Barry Dana kicked off yesterday's testimony with a moving description of his own experiences playing sports for the Old Town Indians which changed their mascot years ago. He questioned whether Native mascots honor as they are said to do, and made the historical observation:

"Being fierce warriors didn't work out so well for us...we've been trying to be diplomats for 500 years."

Dana also noted that "it is a challenge for Native students to be successful" and they don't need additional blocks that lower their self-esteem. "Would you want to allow your schools to harm your students?"

Other speakers of note yesterday included Sherri Mitchell (Penobscot) and Dwayne Tomah (Passamoquoddy).  Unfortunately I missed their testimony because I was in a meeting.

Five members of the MSAD 54 school board: Peggy Lovejoy, Derek Ellis, Sarah Bunker, Kathy Wilder -- all in favor -- and of course Jennifer Poirier, who leads the opposition in Skowhegan. According to my husband, Poirier's testimony drew heavily on material from NAGA, the organization associated with the Washington DC football team with the racist name.

One of LD 944's co-sponsors, Rep. Lois Galgay Rickett, described cutting off the offensive logo of that team from fan gear she had purchased "and I've survived nicely."

Bunker noted that there was a school board election going forward that very day in the MSAD 54 town of Canaan serving as a sort of referendum on the local mascot issue where Board Chair Dixie Ring was running for re-election. I woke this morning to find the good news that she won against a write-in candidate vowing to restore the Indian mascot at Skowhegan area schools. Ring previously told a reporter for the local paper that she had listened to Native people and changed her mind on the mascot issue.

My favorite speaker during the time I was able to listen to the audio feed from the hearing was a nine year old who spoke just after his mother. I didn't catch his first name but was riveted by his articulate and well-reasoned testimony. Also envious of the curriculum his older sibling described receiving in downeast Maine at the middle school level. 

Skowhegan students had less flattering things to say about their district's educational efforts around Maine Native history and culture.  Adelle Belanger, a senior who represented SAHS at Girls State last summer, described her four years:

We used to have this one day. Freshman year we had actual Native Americans come and talk but we weren’t allowed to ask them questions about the mascot. Sophomore year we had one website with a bunch of broken links... Junior year fell on a snow day. Nothing yet this year. 

Anyone claiming that we are getting education by having a mascot of Native Americans: that’s not true.

My favorite citizen lobbyist on environmental issues, Hilary Lister, pointed out that "the institutional endorsement" of Native mascots is a form of bullying. She described her own high school years at Nokomis when the Warrior was their mascot, "a stereotypical silhouette with Western headdress" support for which "manifested in ways that were really mocking." She described fake war dances and whooping, "mockery of a culture...while everyone sat silent...When you allow a person to be a mascot, it's easy to turn them into a stereotype."

Speakers in opposition had long since ceased when the final speaker in favor came to the microphone, a woman whose name I unfortunately missed. She sealed the deal by describing Maine's developing reputation as a racist state due to headlines generated by our former governor's many racist remarks to the press, and a white supremacist who gained notoriety before he was fired from his position as town manager in Jackman.

"I have childhood friends who are afraid to visit me here," she told the committee. "We have an opportunity with this bill to turn that around."

Amen to that, sister.

Let The Healing Begin #NotYourMascot

Students peruse a handout prepared by Allison Dorko on policies governing school board ethics during an executive session for the board to receive legal advice. (My photo)

In weighted voting representing the populations of each town in MSAD 54, the school board agreed to retire the Indian mascot for all the schools in the district last night in Skowhegan.

Here's the roll call:

YEA -- total 558
Sarah Bunker (who made the motion to "respectfully retire" the mascot), Mercer, 16 votes
Maryellen Charles, Mercer, 16 votes
Jeannie Conley, Skowhegan, 53 votes
Derek Ellis, Skowhegan, 53 votes
Haley Fleming, Norridgewock, 46 votes
Theresa Howard, Cornville, 30 votes
Christy Johnson, Smithfield, 27 votes
Desiree Libby, Norridgewock, 46 votes
Peggy Lovejoy, Skowhegan, 53 votes
Brandy Morgan, Norridgewock, 46 votes
Dixie Ring, Canaan, 43 votes
Amy Rouse, Skowhegan, 53 votes
Darcy Surette, Cornville, 30 votes
Kathy Wilder, Norridewock, 46 votes

NAY -- total 441
Mark Bedard, Skowhegan, 53 votes
Harold Bigelow, Skowhegan, 53 votes
Jean Franklin, Canaan, 43 votes
Goff French, Smithfield, 27 votes
Richard Irwin, Skowhegan, 53 votes
Jennifer Poirier, Skowhegan, 53 votes
Lynda Quinn, Skowhegan, 53 votes
Karen Smith, Skowhegan, 53 votes
Todd Smith, Skowhegan, 53 votes

Using a tightly organized meeting format, the board began with an executive session to confer with their attorney (again). Then they reconvened in public and each member had an opportunity to express an opinion on the issue. Board members were limited to three minutes, could not cede their time to another member, and could not debate with one another under their own rules for the evening.

Board members Irwin, Morgan and Surette passed on the opportunity to speak.

Some highlights of other board members' remarks:

Bunker observed that, whether one liked the name "Indians" or not, it was clear that "it's divisive...the name does not benefit our community." She expressed a hope to "not do further harm" and, like many on the board, cited the resources consumed by the mascot controversy.

Libby also mentioned resources and the need to model "the same relational skills that I teach my kids...We must do better, and we must move on." She also noted of an idea floated by Todd Smith that deferring the mascot decision to a referendum "feels cowardly."

Mr. Smith also said "this is not a taxpayer issue. If you don't live in this district, you don't get a vote."

His wife, Karen Smith, shared her misguided opinion that "being offended...is a personal belief" (my note: a common misconception engendered by white privilege) and asked, "Why are we being bullied to change?"

Howard said that she believed the board ought to "lead by example" by being "kind and respectful to others." She wanted to "provide our children with a controversy-free mascot."

(My photo)

Bedard said that he was "appalled at the anger this issue has created in the community" and, in a spectacularly tone deaf choice of words, finished with "Skowhegan is my reservation."

Newest member Wilder said "today's kids deserve to have a mascot not based on race."

Chair Ring indicated she would "vote for all the kids" and noted they "have the right to come to school and be safe." She also noted of the mascot controversy that "I feel very bullied," but  she did not elaborate on who or what she had in mind.

Rouse noted that she often travels with the high school speech team (state champs this year, and not for the first time). At these events "the majority of educators who talk to me say 'Why can't your board change?' The kids hear it...[and it] affects how they think about themselves."

Lovejoy said "I believe there are good people on both sides of this issue" and observed that even if the mascot was "okay in 1924 [when it was first adopted], it's not okay now."

Board members Quinn and Bigelow both spoke in an aggressive (and aggrieved) tone, and were cheered and applauded by SIP supporters despite board chair Dixie Ring's admonition that there be no responses from the audience. 

Bigelow complained loudly that "people from away come in here to stir up trouble" and claimed that Native students receive "free tuition" while his own son struggles to pay his college bills. (This is probably a misunderstanding of the land grant used to establish the University of Maine at Orono, which was ceded by the Penobscot Nation in 1865 in exchange for educational opportunities.)

Quinn offended LBGTQ students in attendance by mispronouncing the word "homosexual" with drawn out emphasis on the first two syllables. The point she was making by mentioning a long list of groups was obscure; I will have to listen again to her comments once Somerset Community TV 11 posts a full video of the meeting.

Poirier made the most ironic remarks of the evening as she only recently invited national pro-mascot group NAGA to Skowhegan. They are about as away as you can get. Poirier read aloud a letter from alumna Christine Keller and also added that she had personally"spoken to 78 tribal members" locally "and they're not offended."

Pretty much the only thing I will miss about the campaign to retire the "Indian" is pre-board meeting dinners at M. Thai restaurant in downtown Skowtown. (My photos)

Ellis spoke of some of the harassment he experienced during the controversy. He also noted, "Pride lives within each and every one of us. That can't be taken away."

Emotions were running high as the vote was tallied. Five police officers, including the chief, patrolled the central aisle between a large number of Skowhegan "Indian Pride" supporters and changers.

But the crowd reaction to the voting results was fairly muted. Mild applause and some grumbling were all it amounted to. Several changers teared up and hugged one another after years of working for the mascot's retirement.

As I was getting into my car a large blonde woman called out, "Lisa, make sure to say in your blog that this isn't over." I responded, "Thanks for reading my blog," and I'm including her opinion here as a courtesy to a regular reader.

But I believe she was wrong.

The struggle to retire the mascot is over, at long last.

I look forward to seeing what new identity Skowhegan teams will be forging in the year to come.

March 7 Mascot Workshop For The Electoral College Of School Boards -- Who Will Recuse?

Alleged fake Native American Mark "OneWolf" Yancey with school board member Jennifer Poirier following the Native American Guardian Association (NAGA) meeting with Skowhegan "Indian Pride" (SIP) group February 24, 2019 (photo from the SIP Facebook group)

There are several members of the school board with the last high school Native mascot in Maine who should be recusing themselves from any vote held this Thursday, March 7 at their 7pm meeting.

Top of the list is Jennifer Poirier who organizes the group Skowhegan "Indian Pride" and who convened the recent meeting with NAGA at the local bowling alley. A February screenshot from her Facebook group is evidence of her bias and why she should recuse herself according to board policy:

Apologies for the use of the R****** slur in this screenshot.

Todd Smith and Karen Smith are married and derive income from selling "Indians" sports gear at his local business, Maine Fire Equipment. They, too, should recuse themselves from a vote due to their pecuniary interest in the outcome, as noted in the guidelines provided to school boards by their law firm Drummond Woodsum.

From Todd Smith's Maine Fire Equipment website

Harold Bigelow should recuse himself because he, too, has indicated bias, and voting on the mascot would violate board policy. From the Waterville Morning Sentinel article of May 4, 2015, "SAD 54 residents argue over keeping Indian mascot for school teams":

Harold Bigelow, of Skowhegan, told the assembly of more than 60 people that there are Native Americans “who side with us” in support of keeping Skowhegan the Indians.  

“The natives today are being compensated for their past with entitlements and free education,” Bigelow said. “I personally feel they ought to focus on their own problems within, rather than creating problems for others. It is definitely not racist. Do what is right — this is our history, not theirs.”

Lynda Quinn should probably recuse herself, too, as she has been vocal in the past about her adherence to the current mascot. From the Portland Press Herald article November 12, 2017, "Mascot still in play at schools in Skowhegan":

As for the teams’ nickname, is there a chance for another vote? 

“From my perspective, no, I don’t think so – I think that was put to rest,” Quinn said. “My question is I don’t know what’s wrong with the name ‘Indian.’ It’s not making fun of anyone. It’s not disrespectful. I just don’t understand why they’re so opposed to the name ‘Indian.’ ”

Note to Ms. Quinn: why are Maine's four tribes all opposed to the name? Possibly because of tweets like this:

We’re on the warpath now! #Skowhegan #IndianPride #mepolitics https://t.co/p1irfJu56t

— Skowhegan GOP (@SkowheganGOP) March 2, 2019

And from the Lewiston Sun Journal article June 17, 2018, "Skowhegan last Maine school to retain Native American Mascot":

There are 11 members left on the 23-member SAD 54 school board that voted 11-9 to keep the Indians nickname in May 2015. Of those 11 members, eight of them voted to keep the name. In district elections held on Tuesday, four incumbent school board members were re-elected, unopposed on the ballot. Two of those re-elected Tuesday — Lynda Quinn and Harold Bigelow — are staunch supporters of keeping the Indians nickname.

Aren't board members allowed to have an opinion? Of course they are and of course they will. But bias means not being open to hearing all sides of an argument and possibly changing one's mind.

Tracking any vote taken this week will be difficult. While the 2015 vote was reported as 11-9 for keeping the mascot, this is somewhat misleading. Maine Administrative School District (MSAD) 54 was created to bring several towns together for the purposes of public education.

I'm guessing there was a lot of resistance to that change, thus the weighting system in use today that renders this board about as complicated as the electoral college:

Town:                  Number of Directors:          Votes Per Director:          Total Votes Per Town:

Canaan	2	43	86
Cornville	2	30	60
Mercer	2	16	32
Norridgewock	4	46	184
Skowhegan	11	53	583
Smithfield	2	27	54

To put names to votes, here is the current board makeup following Monday's election to fill a vacant seat in Norridgewock:

DIXIE RING Canaan  43 votes		JEAN FRANKLIN Canaan   43 votes		THERESA HOWARD Cornville    30 votes
DARCY SURETTE Cornville   30 votes		MARYELLEN CHARLES Mercer     16 votes		SARAH BUNKER Mercer    16 votes
KATHERINE WILDER Norridgewock   46 votes		HALEY FLEMING Norridgewock   46 votes		DESIREE LIBBY Norridgewock   46 votes
BRANDY MORGAN Norridgewock  46 votes		MARK BEDARD Skowhegan      53 votes		HAROLD BIGELOW Skowhegan   53 votes
JEANNIE CONLEY Skowhegan  53 votes		DEREK ELLIS Skowhegan     53 votes		RICHARD IRWIN Skowhegan   53 votes
PEGGY LOVEJOY Skowhegan   53 votes		JENNIFER POIRIER Skowhegan    53 votes		LYNDA QUINN Skowhegan   53 votes
AMY ROUSE Skowhegan   53 votes		KAREN SMITH Skowhegan     53 votes		TODD SMITH Skowhegan  53 votes
GOFF FRENCH Smithfield     27 votes		CHRISTY JOHNSON Smithfield    27 votes

If these look like mailing labels, it's because they are. I will have them on hand March 7 to help me accurately record what board members say during the meeting. It is described as a workshop convened so that board members may express their thoughts following lots of public comment since Penobscot Ambassador Maulian Dana delivered a letter asking to retire the mascot back in November.

Ms. Dana is currently in Washington DC meeting with officials about Penobscot Nation interests. Will she make it back to Maine in time to attend Thursday's meeting? Stay tuned.

ADDITIONAL INFO 3/7/19:
From the Portland Press Herald article of June 29, 2015,"Debate over 'Indians' mascot persists despite school board vote to keep it" (link here):

Adults Clinging To Traditions, Kids Just Want To Play Sports

Changers at the February 28 board meeting in Skowhegan. (my photo)

In the run up to Thursday's meeting on the Skowhegan mascot -- billed as an occasion for board members to speak, but which also may very well see a vote -- I am excited to share this guest post by health educator Karyn Bussell.

Her recent email to the board is excellent. Notice how she puts students first. Bussell is a former Civil Rights Team adviser in a neighboring school district, and they are lucky to have her. 

I expect I'll see her March 7 at 7pm in the Skowhegan Area High School cafeteria.

From: KARYN BUSSELL
Date: Sat, Mar 2, 2019 at 3:45 PM
Subject: mascot/nickname
To: MSAD 54 board and administrators

Good afternoon,

I have attached a copy of the Maine Department of Education's Priority Notice concerning the use of Native American mascots, nicknames, imagery, etc..  I can't even find the words to describe how I feel about this letter being directed at our community... we are the lone holdout.  We have a mark on us that will take time to erase.  I truly wish we could turn back the clock and address this change proactively as other communities in Maine have done.  

I am a taxpaying resident of Skowhegan.  I am also a teacher at Madison Area Memorial High School.  It is FUN to participate in school events as a Bulldog. (Never thought I'd say that as a student at Skowhegan Area High School in the 1980s!!!)  I have even worn the bulldog costume at a football game and truly been part of the spirt of school pride.  Madison High School and Carrabec High School are working hard together to combine athletic teams in the best interest of our student athletes.  It is my observation that the change is most difficult for the adults in the community that are holding on to memories and tradition.  The students I have talked to sincerely just want to play their sport at the highest competitive level possible.  Some Madison student athletes wear Carrabec uniforms, some Carrabec student athletes wear Madison uniforms, and some sports are combining with a new team nickname, mascot, and uniform.  The student athletes have easily embraced these changes.  I share this with you to refocus the Indian nickname/mascot issue on the students.  I am confident they will embrace a new team nickname and mascot with relative ease.

There is a lot of commentary right now that SAHS does not have a mascot.... the mascot has been retired and all imagery removed from team uniforms.  How sad for current and future students... they do not have a mascot as every other high school in Maine does.  A few weeks ago I went to the Class C State Cheering competition to support my students.  A few of the other teams had their mascots present to cheer on their cheerleaders.  My thoughts were.... this can't happen for Skowhegan.  We don't have a mascot to represent us, a costume to dress up in, a fun way to participate in school pride.

While you may have retired the mascot and all imagery, the nickname Indian has not changed.  Regardless of how you feel about the use of Indians as a team nickname, I implore you to consider retiring the Indian name.  Let's choose a nickname and mascot that everyone can support and have fun with... a mascot that the students can dress up as without controversy and we all can be proud of.

As I have said before.... this is Skowhegan AREA High School, comprised of Skowhegan, Canaan, Cornville, Norridgewock, Mercer, and Smithfield.  Please choose to guide us in choosing a school nickname and mascot that represents ALL of these communities and ALL can be proud of.

Thank you for your time and commitment to the students, staff, and communities of RSU 54 / MSAD 54.

Karyn Bussell

Maine Department of Education Provides Position on School Mascots and Logos Because our schools must provide safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environments, and because schools teach many lessons by example, DOE urges schools to refrain from using mascots and logos that depict Native American tribes, individuals, customs, or traditions. For information about the negative impact of using such mascots/logos: https://www.apa.org/pi/oema/resources/indian-mascots http://www.changethemascot.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/DrFriedmanReport.pdf While we recognize that DOE does not have jurisdiction over local decisions like these, we encourage schools and communities to consider the impact of promoting symbols and stereotypes that marginalize individuals or groups of people. The DOE is working to enhance our office of Student Supports with additional staff and resources to assist Maine schools and districts in the development and strengthening of practices that promote cultural competence and reduce bias and inequity.

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