I have been following the controversy about the Skowhegan Indians being urged to change the name of their sports teams’ mascot, as it is offensive to Native Americans.

I am a native of Skowhegan. My parents, my children and I all attended Skowhegan High School. With this family history, you might think that I would be against the sports teams’ name change; however, I am not against it.

Many people feel that the name “Indians” honors the heritage of the school and town. The Native Americans (or indigenous people, as they wish to be called) do not feel honored — they feel offended. This is hard for many of us to understand. I firmly believe that unless one is brought up in and has lived in the Native American culture, one could not truly understand their feelings. If they feel that way, we should try to be sensitive to that. Many of the residents of the Kennebec Valley and throughout Maine would find Native American ancestors in their family tree, but most of us were not brought up in that culture.

There is a rich heritage in Skowhegan connected with the log drive. Our teams could be the “Log Drivers,” “River Drivers,” The “Loggers,” the “Watchers” (Skowhegan means “A Place to Watch”). These names would honor our heritage and still be sensitive to the concerns of the indigenous people.

I am, however, against removing our wooden sculpture that has just been so beautifully restored, or the painting that now hangs in the Opera House. Both of these are important artistically as well as to the heritage of the town.

Linda S. Chandler

Skowhegan


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