Bill Would Ban Schools From Using Native American Mascots

TEWKSBURY, MA — Student athletes at Tewksbury Memorial High School have been called the Redmen since at least 1969, according to school yearbooks, a homage to the Wamesit village of the Pennacook tribe that was centered in what is now Lowell and extended into what is now Tewksbury. Over the years, however, critics have noted that "Redmen" was a term given to the native people by English settlers, and the school's logo of a Native American in a full headdress is inaccurate, given that such attire was not used by tribes east of the Mississippi River.

Along the way, elected officials have chimed in on the debate, with the most recent effort being Senate Bill 247 and House Bill 443 in the Massachusetts legislature. If passed, the bills would ban the use of Native American mascots by public schools in the state. Both bills have been in committee since January and are similar to proposals in previous sessions that failed to make it to the floor of either chamber.

Earlier this year, Maine became the first state to pass a statewide ban on the use of Native American mascots in public schools. The law, which passed unanimously and was signed by Gov. Janet T. Mills, takes effect with the start of the 2019-20 school year.

But the political climate in Maine is starkly different from Massachusetts. At the time the law passed, all of the public school systems in Maine that had once used Native American mascots had already dropped them. In Massachusetts, about 40 high schools still use Native American mascots, while others have dropped them only after considerable debate in the past 15 years.

Honoring Or Dishonoring History?

By the time English settlers made it to what is now the Merrimack Valley, as much as 90 percent of the Native American population had been wiped out by what was called the Great Sickness of 1613-17. Many of the survivors, including the Wamesit, aligned with Puritans for protection from attacking Mohawks. In turn, they were converted to Christianity.

Before that, however, the Pennacook tribe stretched from Concord, NH into Massachusetts and had a population of more than 12,000 at its peak. While the Wamesit village was centered near where the Concord and Merrimack Rivers meet in Lowell, it stretched into Tewksbury. Archaeologists have dated some of the hundreds of artifacts found on the Heath Brook site behind the Tewksbury Post Office back 5,000 years, according to the Tewksbury Historical Society.

Tewksbury students attended Lowell High School until 1934. After that, school yearbooks show student athletes with a big red "T" on their uniforms. It's not until 1969 that photos show the Redmen logo and name, but its not clear when the school system formally adopted the name.

Renewing The Debate

In 2016, Tewksbury considered doing away with the Redmen team name. Following months of debate and public forums, the school committee voted 4-1 to retain the name. That prompted former state Sen. Barbara L'Italien (D-Andover), whose district included Tewksbury, to introduce the first bill that would ban all public schools in Massachusetts from using Native American mascots.

The debate has been ongoing for decades, but has gotten more heated in recent years. The Massachusetts Teacher's Association opposes the use of Native American mascots by schools. In 2015, athletic equipment maker adidas offered design resources and financial aid to schools that wanted to rename their teams.

But for every opponent to the names, there is seemingly a supporter. The Facebook group "REDMEN . . . HERE TO STAY" was formed the last time Tewksbury took up the issue and has more than 1,500 members who still discuss preserving the town's mascot.

"Guarantee, if this gets through the State, the history of the Wamesit will be gone in 2 generations," one person posted on a closed Facebook group for Tewksbury residents after hearing about the latest proposal on Wednesday morning. "To (sic) much time on people's life. Or they should get a life," another wrote.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).