Petition Aims To Block Move At Erasing Round Rock School Mascot

ROUND ROCK, TX — A petition has circulated to deter the proposed deletion of an elementary school mascot featuring a caricature of a smiling Native American.

Launched on Sunday, the initiative posted on change.org is a counter-petition to one launched by a group of mothers seeking to eradicate the image deemed offensive to the Native American community. The Double File Trail Elementary mascot features a roundish face of a young native girl with a feathered headdress. At last check, the petition had garnered more than 400 signatures.

"It has come to my attention that a group of people are attempting to change the mascot of our school Double File Trail Elementary, which is an Indian Brave," the petition's creator, Shyenne Haluzan, wrote. "This Brave has been our mascot for over 30 years and is synonymous with our school! Our Brave represents courage, bravery and the great history of our community! People need to remember that this school was named to honor an area of historical importance and significance."

Related story: Round Rock Moms Seek To Change School's Native American Mascot

Rather than being an offensive image, the mascot was meant to honor the Native American culture, Haluzan insisted: "Choosing an Indian brave as a representative of this school was intended to acknowledge the importance of and to honor Indians who settled this area. There is nothing derogatory or offensive intended or implied."

The petition is in response to one organized by a group of moms who insist the image is derogatory. "I propose we act as a community to remove the name 'Braves' and cartoon Native American mascot from Double File Trail Elementary," the petition reads in part. "Phase it out throughout the upcoming school year. Involve the community and students of the school."

In an effort to facilitate the change, the petition's organizers suggested galvanizing the community to help come up with an alternative mascot: "To help mitigate change, the group suggests engaging students and parents in the process: "Ask the community for help designing the logo and repainting the hallways," the moms offered. "For supplies branded with the mascot, re-order when they are depleted with the new mascot. As a community, we can come together to stop perpetuating the misrepresentation of Native American culture and people."

But the emergence of the counter-petition illustrates the arrival of the culture wars in Round Rock, with the mascot as the controversy centerpiece. Some of the comments on the new petition to save the mascot illustrate the ideological divide:

• "Thirty years ago, a committee of Round Rock citizens spent a lot of time and effort and put thought and energy into selecting a mascot the felt would represent and honor the community," petition signer Lisa Juarez wrote. "I am proud to be a Double File Brave, and I know many others who feel the same."
• "There is absolutely nothing offensive about this mascot," Vicki Hood added. "This craziness has got to stop."
• "I love our mascot, and I feel that the mascot represents leadership, bravery honor & respect — all the traits that we admire about our American Indians," Jamie White wrote. "Our kids look up to our American Indians because of these traits, and they are proud to be Braves!"
• Jessica R. wrote: "My children attended there. This is a ridiculous waste of money to re-mascot the school. Whoever started/contributes to this unnecessary dust-up in part of the problem. This areas has several Indian burial grounds, and this is how they've opted to honor them through this namesake. It is not about you."
• Manuel Ruiz did a bit of research to formulate his take: "I do believer it sis up to Native American organizations to make that ultimate call and maybe they will agree or not, but one of the primary organizations who has been protesting this for many years, the NCAI (National Congress of American Indians) defines on their website that they protest 'the use of derogatory Native sports mascots and cultural stereotypes that degrade, slander, mock or belittle Native people.' It is just my opinion, but I don't see anything about this mascot that exemplifies any of these qualities."
• "People read too much into things," Alma Juarez opined. "Kids don't know about racism and it's the parents who whine and turn things into a huge ordeal. If the kids love this mascot why take it away?"

But it appears Round Rock ISD is looking to remove the mascot. A Round Rock ISD spokeswoman told KXAN the district plans to remove the logo from school signage as soon as possible, noting the offending image already has been removed from the schools website.