Lane Tech Alpha Program’s 2014-2015 shirts
They were there when Columbus’ foot first touched down in America. They were sent on the literal Trail of Tears by President Andrew Jackson.
The Native American has been a chief figure in American as well as world history. Because of this, the use of their misgiven name, Indian, as a “mascot” or “symbol” has been the root of much controversy.
The Native American, represented in the bronze “Shooting for the Stars” statue standing tall in the Memorial Garden, is Lane’s symbol of honor — a reminder to students “to set their sights on lofty goals,” according to the Lane Tech website.
“Indians” is also often used as the name of Lane’s sports organizations along with the less common “Warriors.”
The Lane Indian has been a defining symbol throughout Lane’s 100 plus years, but as tension surrounds several organizations with Native American symbols or mascots, Lane students, faculty, and alumni are now faced with the question of whether the Lane Indian tradition is appropriate or not.
Native American mascots in pro sports
Debate over organizations with Native American mascots or symbols has recently reached a boiling point.
In October 2013 the Oneida Indian Nation started a campaign with hopes of forcing the Washington Redskins to change their name and consequently the character on their helmets. An Oneida Nation representative, Ray Halbritter, explained that “Redskins” is a racial slur and should no longer be used.
On Sept. 25, The Daily Show aired a segment featuring Native American activists and adamant Redskins fans. The two groups were first interviewed individually by Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones. Then the unsuspecting Redskins fans were put in the same room with the activists to debate the issue.
Last month, on Nov. 2, the largest rally in history against the Redskins name was held outside University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium before the start of the game between the hometown Vikings and the Redskins.
The protesters — mainly Native Americans from the surrounding areas — stood in a plaza outside the stadium that had been dedicated to 11 of the state’s tribes. Many of the Redskins fans in attendance hid their Redskins gear as they walked through the plaza.
Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team, the Indians, also received several complaints for their team mascot and symbol.
According to ESPN, the Cleveland Indians have quietly and slowly been phasing out their 63-year-old mascot, Chief Wahoo, in exchange for a less controversial “C.”
Law in American Society teacher and Native American club sponsor Ms. Sebestyen believes that Lane’s situation is completely different from that of professional sports teams.
“They are commercial entities. They make money,” Sebestyen said. “They have been repeatedly asked to stop this [the use of the Native American] and they haven’t. I have no fondness for the owners of football teams.”
Mr. Cockrell teaches Ethnic Studies, a class designed to give students a basic understanding of various minority groups living in the US today. As part of their first semester curriculum they study Native American culture. He also sees the difference between professional teams and Lane.
“I think it is somewhat different,” Cockrell said. “The Redskins, the term itself, can be seen as derogatory and negative — portraying a person with the focal point being the color of their skin.”
Homecoming complaints
According to Assistant Principal Ms. Hanly, complaints about the school symbol heighten during homecoming season.
“I think some people have mistaken when kids paint their faces green and gold that they are implying war paint, or something like that,” Hanly said. “But our answer is that our kids do that out of school spirit. Every kid in America, every school I’ve been to paint their faces for Homecoming regardless if their symbol is the Indians, or the Generals, or the Warriors.”
Amanda Betancourt-Szymanowska, Div. 588, has dressed in mocassins, a Native American dress and a Native American headdress for Homecoming her four years at Lane.
“Wearing something of another culture isn’t necessarily racist in and of itself. Right now I am actually wearing traditional Bengali pants,” Betancourt-Szymanowska said, pointing to her blue bottoms. “I’m wearing them but I am not being racist by putting them on.”
Tyra Bosnic, Div. 570, designed a T-shirt to wear for Homecoming to sarcastically share her opinion of Lane’s symbol of honor. She wore a black shirt with “Cultural Appropriation at its finest. Go Lane Go!” printed in block letters.
Cultural appropriation, according to The Huffington Post, is “picking and choosing elements of a culture by a member of another culture without permission. This includes traditional knowledge, religious symbols, artifacts or any other unauthorized use of cultural practice or ideation.”
Bosnic explained how the use of the Native American is inappropriate anywhere.
“I just feel it is really offensive,” Bosnic said. “That’s the whole idea of cultural appropriation, just to use a culture to make money off of it — like all the hats they have and the shirts that have the Native American emblazoned on it. I just think it’s wrong.”
Bosnic did admit that the symbol is used in good sentiment at Lane, but added that it might be time for a change.
“It basically says we are champions, the Indians are the champions,” Bosnic said. “But they use the Indian so much and they’re basically glorifying the stereotype. I think they are sending the wrong image. It’s like the whole Redskins football team — it’s not a good image to have and they have been using this image for so long, I think it’s really outdated.”
‘Agile Indians’ and ‘Mascots’
The Indian symbol of honor has been a tradition at Lane since the start. The first recorded appearance of a “Lane Indian” was in a comic in a copy of a 1913 Lane Tech Prep, a weekly magazine. Over Lane’s 100 plus years the Indian has been portrayed in various ways and forms.
Lane does not have a designated Native American dance or performance done at halftime shows; however, such feats were once seen.
The first recorded picture of the Indian Dancers was shown in a 1961 Lane yearbook. A page in the activities section is devoted to “Agile Indians.” The page features the cheerleaders and the Indian Dancers.
“With throbbing tom-toms and blood chilling war whoops the Indian Dancers rush out onto the gridiron to bring alive the Lane symbol. Their multicolored, hand-made, feathered costumes and authentic Indian dances instill pride in the men of Lane… and fair rests a firm foundation of knowledge of the lore and customs of various American Indian tribes.”
Mr. Hencinski, astronomy teacher, graduated from Lane in 1967. He remembers the way Agile Indians used to perform during the football games.
“They [Agile Indians] were connected with the cheerleaders,” Hencinski said. “Back then Lane was all guys so they had the guy cheerleaders, they had the megaphones and they would tend to try and get the crowd going… with the megaphone ‘GO LANE GO’. Some of the cheerleaders dressed up like Native Americans. They wouldn’t cheer but they would be out there getting the crowd going.”
Controversy came close to Lane in 1989, hitting hardest at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
University of Illinois uses the Fighting Illini as their school mascot or symbol. As part of this tradition, up until 2007, the university had a student adorned with a Native American headdress and regalia dance a three minute routine during various athletic halftime programs. They called him “Chief Illiniwek.”
According to an article in the NEA Education Journal, controversy began at U of I after graduate student Charlene Teters became disturbed by the thought of her children watching the Chief. To her, he represented false stereotypes. As a result, she began a campaign to get rid of Native American-related mascots in 1989. Eighteen years later, in February 2007, the chair of the U of I school board retired the tradition forever.
Following the 1989 controversy, Lane students began questioning the ethics of the school’s symbol of honor.
Debra Yepa-Pappan is a Program Coordinator for CPS’ Title 7 Indian Education Program, a 1989 Lane graduate, and mother of an LTAC student. She is also a part of the Jemez Pueblo Tribe, a tribe with roots in New Mexico with approximately 3,400 members.
Yepa-Pappan remembers what she called a “mascot” who would dance and perform at Pep Rally.
“He wore buckskin with fringes, fake moccasins,” said Yepa-Pappan. “He also had a headdress. Another thing was the student was Asian and had mental disabilities, so that says a lot. Maybe he chose that role and was happy to take it on but I just know that I was always disgusted by the whole thing. It was such a caricature of Native culture.”
Though Yepa-Pappan was offended by the “mascot,” she felt like a “lone Native” and could never find the voice to speak against it.
Yepa-Pappan was not alone in her distaste for the “mascot.”
A satirical article in the March 1990 Lane Warrior titled “Lane mascot causes thought” showcases a student’s reflection on the use of the Indian at Lane. The student, Young Park, describes the Lane mascot as compared to those of other schools. It reads, “Isn’t it great having an Indian for a mascot? It’s so much fun watching the Indian dancing to that cool beat, DumDumDumDum… DumDumDumDum… … If by chance you happened to look on the other side of the field you probably noticed their mascot, usually a bulldog, chicken, bear, or some other animal. The Indian definitely belongs in this category, don’t you think?”
Dr. Dignam graduated from Lane in 1988, a year prior to Yepa-Pappan, and two years prior to the article.
“I don’t recall that,” Dignam said. “Could it have happened? Anything could have happened. Of course someone could have dressed up and done that. That was not the norm.”
Teachers, alumni, and assistant principals suggest that the Indian Dancers Hencinski referred to were phased out. The “mascot,” whether it existed as a part of the school or a student acting on their own, has not been seen in any other forms at Lane Stadium in recent years.
Native American Club
Though the “Agile Indians” are no more, Lane now houses a Native American club that dances during International Days and Nights.
Sebestyen became the sponsor for Native American club this year after watching the club last year practice and research in her classroom after school.
“I watched them try to research,” Sebestyen said. “They talked to some Native Americans, the president was Native American and his family was involved. They did everything they could to try and be as respectful as possible. So when it comes to critiques of whether or not their dance was appropriate last year I get a little defensive. They’re kids. They’re trying. Their intent is good.”
Sebestyen believes, however, the decision on what is and is not appropriate belongs to Native Americans.
“At first I questioned, is it less insulting because we [Lane] do not have somebody dress up like a chief and run out on the field or put on a ‘mascot’ costume of sorts,” Sebestyen said. “And while I see that as extremely offensive, I have to say this decision belongs to Native Americans. As a white person I feel completely hypocritical telling Native Americans how they should feel, that they shouldn’t be offended. Because if you are offended you’re offended, no matter how much someone tells you you shouldn’t be. So ultimately the decision is theirs.”
Dignam tested the waters, and received feedback from Native cultures. Seven years ago, an Alaskan Native group visited Lane to look at Native imagery around the school. The group found nothing wrong with the portrayal.
To better address the club’s appropriateness, Sebestyen started by taking two of the officers to a Pow Wow where they observed the dance steps and the regalia.
Sebestyen then scheduled a “Culture Day” for the club.
On Dec. 2, Native American club gathered in room 224 to hear from a short woman with streaks of coral in her hair, Yepa-Pappan.
Yepa-Pappan and her coworkers from the Title 7 Program, Monica Rickert and Maria Guzman, stood before the Native American Club, answered all questions and set the record straight that war paint should be avoided on women, to stay historically accurate, and that “squad,” though common in youth culture now, should not be used to refer to the club since it sounds like a derogatory term referring to Native Americans. They were, however, happy that the club was putting in extra research and agreed to visit the club on a monthly basis to teach lessons on culture and bring interesting guest speakers, like Frank Waln, a Native American rapper.
The Present
Laneites hold several different opinions of the Indian as a symbol of honor.
Previously mentioned ethnic studies teacher Mr. Cockrell is often approached with the question of the Indian’s appropriateness.
“I’ve gone back and forth and looked at both sides and arguments,” said Cockrell. “People on one side feeling that the use of the Native American as a mascot is derogatory, negative, and equates them to an animal or in a different status or light. Then I have heard another argument that Native Americans are used and portrayed to show positive attributes like courage, bravery, and strength. There is also the tradition aspect here at Lane… With that being said, if it does offend a small group or one person and they would like to see it changed, I would be OK with it changing, in regard to a professional team, college, university, even a high school.”
Others however, feel like the lack of consistency in the Indian image, is the true problem.
“I think my issue with Lane is that there is no consistent depiction of the Indian,” Ms. Langford, a psychology teacher, said. “We have students drawing the Indian on a flyer, we have students drawing the Indian for a program, we have students drawing the Indian for the senior button. I feel like when the Indian is drawn, that is where it gets dangerous. When is it appropriate and when is it inappropriate? And who decides the appropriateness of that?”
According to Dignam, when students, parents, or teachers want to put an image of a Native American on a shirt, poster, or button they send it to a committee of students who will vote on the appropriateness and work alongside Ms. Hanly, Assistant Principal in charge of all school activities.
Hanly has worked at Lane for 15 years and believes the symbol is not the same as a simple mascot.
“We see it with respect and pride, but I think you would see that with any symbol we would have,” Hanly said. “We don’t use it as a mascot. There is a difference between if we were the Bears and had someone dressed up in a big bear costume running around the stands and being silly. That’s a mascot. We don’t have that. We don’t have Benny the Bull. We don’t have anyone dressed like a Native American doing that.”
Dignam said he is 100 percent Irish and compared the use of the Indian at Lane to the Fighting Irish at Notre Dame.
“We have the Fighting Irish represented by leprechauns.We don’t do that here,” Dignam said.
Yepa-Pappan, however, believes that no matter what Lane calls the Indian it will always only be looked at as a mascot.
“Over the years I have never come to terms with accepting it as a symbol of honor,” Yepa-Pappan said. “I think that anytime there is some kind of representation of Natives, if it’s not done by Native Americans I cannot perceive it as a symbol of honor…. The Lane Tech community might call it a symbol of honor, but when you go outside of this community and go to other cities, other towns, other communities, they will always see it as a mascot, and they will always call it a mascot regardless of what you call it here. It will always be looked at as a mascot.”
Dignam recognizes that there are a variety of opinions on the Indian, and they should all be taken into consideration.
“This school prides itself on diversity and sensitivity,” he said.
