May 2018

W May 11, 2018 news 3
burial
of the
warrior
BY DAVIS PARKS
news editor
scribing the choice to use unique elements of another
culture without their approval, particularly when
done by a dominant culture. There is no question
that Maine West, intentionally or not, has appropriated
Native American culture. “The headdress that we
have and the costume that we used -- all of that was
made by the costumer at Maine West or bought to
have the Maine West colors on it,” Haugan said.
Native Tribes have always felt appropriation invites
negative stereotypes. The Inter-Tribal Council
of the Five Civilized Tribes unites the governments
of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee and
Seminole Nations. On July 13, 2001, this organization
publicly declared that using “American Indian
as mascots is a negative means of appropriating and
denigrating our cultural identity.”
This was supported again on February 11, 2011.
In direct response to Maine West’s mascot, the Cherokee
Nation said their group, “vehemently opposes
the use of Native American stereotypes in sports and
sport mascots.”
The recent decision to end the warrior mascot has
received “a lot of support from Native Americans here
and all over the place who say being a warrior is not
racist; having a student dress and act like a warrior is
what’s racist and offensive,” Haugan said.
THE “ENDORSEMENT”
THAT WASN’T
So how did Maine West’s students and staff come to
think the mascot was endorsed by tribal leaders?
In 1993, Des Plaines resident Mary Lundgren
Littlefield visited Maine West. She allegedly gave
approval on behalf of the Cherokee Nation and was
regarded by Maine West administrators as the Cherokee
Poet Laureate.
Fast forward 17 years: Littlefield was interviewed
by the Chicago Tribune last month and denied such
interactions. “Littlefield said she doesn’t recall expressing
support for the mascot during her visit,” the
Tribune reported.
In 2011, the Cherokee Nation undermined Maine
West’s use of Littlefield’s comments as an endorsement.
A representative wrote, “The Cherokee Nation
doesn’t have a Poet Laureate. Additionally, if the tribe
ever does have a Poet Laureate, he/she will not have
the authority to make such resolutions on behalf of
the Cherokee Nation.” For those reasons, many believe
Littlefield’s statement could not have constituted
approval on behalf of the Cherokee Nation.
HISTORY’S IMPACT
Chapman explained that the Cherokee Nation
would not have endorsed the
warrior anyway due to its misportrayal
of their culture. He
60%
OF STUDENTS BELIEVED
THE WARRIOR MASCOT
DANCE WAS
HONORABLE AND
RESPECTFUL*
wrote, “The Cherokees do not
wear blue headdresses nor did
they walk barefoot.” On the
surface, these details may seem
inconsequential, but they have
deeper implications.
Understanding this means
looking back a century and a
half. In 1876, Ulysses S. Grant
dispatched an agent to take the Ponca Chief White
Eagle to an Indian Reserve. Without notice, the agent
betrayed White Eagle, leaving him stranded in Oklahoma.
After walking hundreds of miles back to his
home in South Dakota, White Eagle sent a telegram
to President Grant saying, “We were so left, and have
been thirty days getting back as far as the Omahas—
hungry, tired, shoeless, foot-sore and sad at heart.”
Being shoeless has taken on special significance since
then.
The shoe-less chief that Maine West portrays
unintentionally reflects this tragedy that the Native
Americans endured.
Moreover, the dance that the warrior performs is
misused in rallying up a crowd. U.S. History teacher
Charles Barney explained, “Typically, Native American
dances had a religious or spiritual sentiment to
them so that’s why opponents would claim you’re recreating
a religious ceremony when you do a dance at
halftime or where ever you may be.”
Haugan personally met with two tribal leaders
from the Ojibwe Tribe last month to hear their
perspectives on West’s mascot. “They agree perhaps
we shouldn’t be putting a student in a costume. If
we’re going to do it, then we should be doing a Native
American dance and it should be taught to us by
Native Americans.”
The dancing mascot is only one way that Maine
West has appropriated Native American culture. The
LEGEND
Times have changed, and West is distancing
itself from poorly-informed and racist
choices of the past. “Willie the Warrior,” for
example, was first depicted in West’s 1960
LEGEND yearbook, where the cartoon
made repeated appearances.
THE MASCOT TRADITION ENDS
school’s halls and rooms are filled with paintings and
Native American artifacts. One of these artifacts is a
totem pole from a Pacific Northwest tribe. The totem
pole had several holes drilled through it, attaching it
to the wall in spec gym.
The Symons family, who own Chicago Contractor’s
Supply, acquired Maine West’s totem pole during
a visit to Alaska in the 1950s. The Symons family
alleges that the owners were proud to display and
share the totem pole. However, no details have been
found citing this interaction. President of Symons
Concrete Form Corp, Ray Bartholomae, donated the
totem pole to his alma mater: Maine West. Bartholomae
said, “I donated [it] to Maine West to continue
the Symons’ cultural sharing.”
At no point did Maine West consult with the
tribe where the totem pole originated.
MOVING FORWARD
The Maine West student body has their own
opinion on this matter. In a survey of 240 students,
approximately 64% believe that the school’s portrayal
of the mascot is respectful and honoring of Native
Americans.
Senior Brett Patterson portrayed the warrior from
2016-2018. As the warrior, Patterson felt as though
he was embodying an image of respect and dignity. “I
think the actual warrior as a mascot is supposed to be
symbolic and the outfit is supposed to represent those
qualities,” he said.
Sophomore Carol McCoy, an active member in
the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan,
supports her peers regarding the school mascot. “I do
not believe that our mascot is in any way offensive to
my culture,” she said. “Being a warrior should not be
an offensive thing because being a Maine West Warrior
is something that every student no matter race,
gender, ethnicity, or color should be proud of. If our
mascot is treated with respect, there is no problem
but rather a sign of racial equality.”
Even though there will be no more physical portrayal,
Haugan hopes the members of Maine West
will “focus on the key elements of what it means to be
a warrior: leadership, integrity, responsibility, respect,
and empathy.” The mascot was a complicated amalgamation
of Native American culture, changing over
the years, but to Maine West, the idea of the warrior
has always represented those honorable traits.
*From a Westerner survey of 251 students
PHOTO FROM SPEC GYM MURAL