Bill introduced to ban Native American school mascots

La Conner High sports teams and fans have long added their own twist to the lyrics when singing the national anthem prior to games.

They regularly close the first verse by emphasizing and slightly altering the final lines – “O’er the land of the free and the home of the Braves” – to reflect the school’s longtime mascot.

That might change going forward.

State Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Bow, has introduced a bill that would ban use of Native American mascots for school sports teams in Washington.

The proposed legislation, House Bill 1356, has received an initial hearing.

“It is degrading that we are being portrayed as no different than a token,” Lekanoff, the only Native American currently serving in the state legislature, said in a statement.

Supporters of the bill, including state Board of Education member Bill Kallappa, II, maintain it is time to phase-out Native-themed mascots and logos.

“Native students have been disregarded and marginalized for far too long,” Kallappa said. “It is time to truly honor our indigenous students and staff by finally removing these offensive mascots from our school system. It is time for us to heal.”

La Conner school board members and interim Superintendent Rich Stewart briefly discussed the Lekanoff bill during a Zoom public hearing and study session Feb. 8.

Board member Amanda Bourgeois, who represents the Swinomish director district, said opinions are divided within the tribal community regarding use of the Braves mascot.

“Some feel it’s a point of pride,” she said. “Some feel it has a negative impact.”

Board member J.J. Wilbur, who also serves on the Swinomish Tribal Senate, offered a similar view.

“It doesn’t bother some people,” he said. “A lot of people take pride in being Braves, but others are offended.”

La Conner sports teams originally adopted “Malemutes” as their mascot. Choosing Braves was intended to connect La Conner Schools with Swinomish.

In the 1980s there was an earlier movement in the state to do away with Native American school mascots. At that time Swinomish leaders expressed support for use of the Braves moniker.

More recently, at behest of the tribal senate, La Conner Schools agreed to refrain from use of Native American caricatures and instead chose to employ an interlocking L and C as its logo. Continued use of the Braves name was endorsed.

John Agen, the board member representing the SneeOosh director district and a 1974 La Conner High grad, said tribal input should be valued most.

“I would defer to Swinomish,” he said. “I know the people in my generation, as far as I know, we looked at it (the Braves mascot) as a connecter. I’m proud to be a Brave but I don’t want to offend any tribal members. From the outside, I see the bonding side to it.

“I see a differentiation between Braves and other obviously disparaging mascots, like Redskins,” he added.

Wilbur said he anticipates the tribal senate will study Lekanoff’s proposed mascot legislation.

“There hasn’t been anything formal yet,” he said. “At some point, we’ll have a discussion. We have a lot of folks on both sides of the fence on this side of the bridge.”

All voices need to be heard, said Bourgeois.

“To me,” she said, “if it’s harmful to a handful of people, it’s harmful. The impact is great in some cases.”

Lekanoff was elected by a landslide to the state House in 2018 and ran unopposed last November. Prior to her service in the legislature, she was Governmental Affairs Director for the Swinomish Tribal Community. Her daughter, Emma Worgum, is a top player and state qualifier on the La Conner High girls’ golf team.

The bill proposed by Lekanoff would end school districts choosing on their own to nix Native American mascots. Vancouver Public Schools officials voted last year to stop using the chieftain mascot at two schools in their district.

The Lekanoff bill is expected to stay on the radar for some time.

“It’s a relatively young bill,” Stewart said, “one that’s still in committee.”