Native American mascots in schools limited by legislature

State lawmakers have decided the time has long since passed that use by public schools of Native American sports mascots goes unchecked.

And on that score La Conner schools, home of the Braves, has already proved ahead of the game.

The local school district has an established history of responding to Swinomish Tribal Community requests regarding imagery portraying Native Americans, most notably the decision several years ago to substitute an interlocking L and C for tribal caricatures as the school logo.

That kind of collaboration is what State Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Bow, had in mind when she sponsored House Bill 1356, regulating school use of Native American mascots and team names, during this legislative session.

Her bill has passed both the state House of Representatives and state Senate by wide margins. Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to sign it into law.

The bill is designed to rid the Washington state public school sports landscape of harmful stereotypes of Native American culture.

It can also foster meaningful dialogue between tribal and school officials to reach consensus on appropriate Native American-themed imagery, Lekanoff said when outlining for fellow lawmakers her vision of the legislation.

“Let’s have the public school system consult with the local tribe because great things will happen,” said Lekanoff, Washington state’s only Native American legislator and who served as governmental affairs director for Swinomish prior to District 40 voters sending her to Olympia in 2018.

She pointed to ongoing cooperation between La Conner schools and Swinomish.

“You’ll see what the La Conner Braves have done between the Swinomish Tribe, the La Conner School District and the La Conner community,”

Lekanoff said, “where they took the Indian head down, which really wasn’t a Coast Salish head – it was a stateside Indian from the east---and the tribe actually designed a cedar band with two feathers down.”

That resulted in a win-win situation for all parties, she stressed.

“You created cultural education where the kids are learning how to honor who it is that are your neighbors,” said Lekanoff. “You’re teaching the next generation that we, as Native Americans, do exist.”

At La Conner, tribal culture and language are highlighted items in the curriculum at multiple levels. The district, for example, opted to feature Lushootseed words on new bleachers at Landy James Gym to highlight shared cultural values.

Lekanoff has also alluded to the approach taken by the Spokane Indians minor league baseball club, which since 2014 has blazoned the Salish version of the team name across its uniforms. Prior to that, the organization had made efforts to establish the name Spokane Indians as a tribute rather than it being merely a mascot, according to veteran baseball writer Jim Kershner.

La Conner Schools has followed a similar path, having swapped its original team moniker Malemutes for Braves in recognition of the district’s significant Native American student population.

Still, there have been some hiccups along the way.

La Conner team uniforms and baseball hats once sported the since discredited Cleveland Indians’ Chief Wahoo emblem. At one time, it was common to see ad copy reading “Scalp ‘em, Braves” in La Conner sports events programs. In the early 1970s, each starting La Conner High varsity basketball player would be introduced before tipoff as “a red man, feather in his headband, braver than a white man, pow-wow.”

Today those practices seem like ancient history.

Consider that the district named its high school gymnasium after legendary alum, teacher, coach and tribal leader Landy James and the acclaimed history wall in the middle school building cites numerous Swinomish contributions to La Conner Schools over the years.

Interim La Conner Schools Superintendent Rich Stewart, who remains onboard until July 1, agreed with Lekanoff that her bill will lead to further talks between the district and tribe.

“I have not had any formal discussions with the (tribal) senate at this time,” he told the Weekly News, “but I plan to prior to leaving the district.”

The legislation will take effect Jan. 1, 2022. It will not affect sports teams unaffiliated with public schools.