Indian mascot ban causing needless harm to 2 small schools

Like a demolition team swinging a sledgehammer, legislators intent on purging Native American mascots from Colorado schools smashed their opposition with little consideration of the wreckage they were creating. So certain of the righteousness of their cause, they denied even mere consideration to the communities upon which they imposed their will.

Two of Colorado’s smallest districts — Arickaree (103 students) and Mountain Valley (153 students) — are being severely harmed by this legislation, which isn’t just about mascots but instead prohibits any sort of Native American imagery “used as a mascot, nickname, logo, letterhead or team name” by a school.

Surrounded by prairie and farmland on the plains of Washington County, Arickaree School is one of Colorado’s few remaining country schools, located between Cope (population 230) and Anton (155).

Arickaree derives its name from the Arikaree River, which begins near Cope and was named for the Arikara tribe. Given its location and history, it’s hardly surprising that the community selected “Indians” as the name for school teams. Critics could just as easily argue that ignoring the area’s Indian heritage — by changing the name to, say, Arickaree Guardians — would be disrespectful, too.

Compliance with Senate Bill 116 isn’t as simple as calling school teams by another nickname. The school must replace its sports, band and cheerleader uniforms from junior high to high school. The center of the high school gymnasium floor — newly installed in 2019 — includes a distinguished painting of the Arickaree Indian logo, which also adorns the outside of the building and signage along the road. Indian imagery in hallways, classrooms, locker rooms and the cafeteria must also be expunged.

So, what about those sports championship banners proudly displayed in the gymnasium? At times, Arickaree has been a powerhouse in six-man football and in basketball. Must they now tear down those authentic championship banners and replace them with banners that pretend the Arickaree Indians never existed?

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