Lawmakers Want Native Americans To Approve School Mascots
By Tak Landrockt.landrock@krdo.comwww.twitter.com/taklandrock
COLORADO SPRINGS – At Cheyenne Mountain High School a picture of an Indian Chief looks over the basketball court, it’s a symbol that has been part of the school heritage for more than six decades.Under a proposed bill, that could change if the district doesn’t get approval by the state’s Indian Affairs Commission.
Under Senate Bill 10-107: “each public high school of a school district and each institute charter high school that uses an American Indian mascot to either cease using the American Indian mascot or obtain approval for the continued use of the American Indian mascot or another American Indian mascot from the Colorado commission of Indian affairs (commission) on or before July 1, 2013.”
If school districts fail to do so, it could mean a fine of $1,000, per month until the districts comes into compliance.
State Senator Suzanne William, a Democrat from Aurora, introduced the bill on Wednesday.
“The idea behind the mascot bill is to require communication, a dialog, between a public high school and (Native American) community,” Williams told NEWSCHANNEL 13 by phone.
Williams used Arapahoe High School as an example of communication between a school district and an American Indian tribe. “Every year they come to the high school and tell the new students about their heritage,” says Williams.
Williams who is ¼ native American tells NEWSCHANNEL 13 that she doesn’t feel this is political correctness, other disagree.
As the Cheyenne Mountain Indians played the Mitchell Marauders Thursday night, parents and alumni thought the proposed law was a waste of time.
“I think they’ve (lawmakers) got other things more important to take care of then that; they don’t need to get involved in all of that kind of nonsense,” says Robbie Edwards.
She graduated from Cheyenne Mountain High School in 1949. She can remember the Indians being the mascot for the district back then.
Since then the district has worked with the Cheyenne Indians to gain approval of the mascot and logo. “The Cheyenne Indians approved it and they come and bless it every school year,” says Edwards.
The district also has a heritage center in honor of the Cheyenne Indians and she feels students already know the rich heritage of the tribe.
Williams would probably approve how Cheyenne Mountain is handling the school’s mascot and heritage. At least 14 other districts, like the Lamar Savages, could be asked to follow the new state guideline, if it passed and approved by the Governor.
This bill is the first of a kind in the United States to deal with high school mascots.
In 1995, the University of Southern Colorado in Pueblo changed its name from the Indians to the Thunderwolves. Adams State College in Alamosa went from the Indians to the Grizzlies in 1996.
