SKOWHEGAN — Educational events on Native American culture such as one held last month at Skowhegan Area High School are making inroads toward understanding in the years-long debate over the school’s Indians nickname.

But school officials say they don’t see the nickname changing anytime soon.

Barry Dana, of Solon, the former chief of the Penobscot tribe, and John Bear Mitchell, of the University of Maine, spoke on Native American Recognition Day, March 18, at the high school and were well received, they said.

“It was a great day,” Mitchell said Tuesday. “Administration and teachers were awesome and many, many students talked to me afterwards — all good things. I did a Maine native history presentation via PowerPoint, and Barry talked about native nutrition and native technology that we still use today — canoe, snowshoes, paddles.”

Two things remain clear, however: Those opposed to using the Indians nickname aren’t going away and those who support keeping the name say a school board vote last year to keep it should be the final word.

The next installment comes Thursday night, when Maulian Smith, Dana’s daughter, presents a petition to the school board formally requesting the district stop using Indians as the high school sports nickname and mascot.

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Smith, founder of the Facebook group Not Your Mascot Maine, said she will deliver the petition during the School Administrative District 54 board meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. in the middle school gymnasium. The online moveon.org petition had 876 signatures by Tuesday afternoon — signers are from Maine and beyond — and Smith said they are shooting for 1,000.

Tim Downing, chairman of the SAD 54 board of directors, said he sees hope in the progress being made with discussions and educational programs; but he also said he doesn’t anticipate the name being changed soon. He said since the petition isn’t on the board’s agenda, there won’t be any discussion, though Smith is free to speak when she presents it during the visitors’ portion of the meeting.

The petition comes two years after the issue of using Native American images and names as school mascots was revived at the school. Smith and those who want the nickname removed say uses of Indian nicknames “dehumanize Native Americans and mock our culture and identity.” She and others say the use of the term is racist and has no place in Maine Schools.

Skowhegan is the last high school in Maine to use such images.

Smith said her visit to the school board and SAD 54 Superintendent Brent Colbry will be a respectful one to remind the district that her group is not going away, despite the board’s 11-9 vote in May to keep the nickname.

“This will be a very peaceful, polite respectful thing,” Smith said by phone Tuesday. “This isn’t looking for conflict or confrontation. It’s almost a courtesy for the school board to say a lot of people in your district feel this way. We’re not going away, and I think they need to know that and be updated on the development.”

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Downing, who was among board members who voted to change the Indians name, said Tuesday, “I would consider it an educational process that continues.”

“There was a vote last year and you had folks that were not pleased with the results, and they’re passionate about the issue; so they continue to press on with information that they feel is relevant to the issue, and we have to respect that,” he said.

Downing said he is not suggesting that the issue is not worthy of discussion, but given the school board vote last year and subsequent elections of new members who support keeping the name, “there is a realism to this situation” that indicates that another vote would not change anything.

“I don’t think there are any formal next steps,” he said. “I think both sides are going to try to make the commitment that they’ve made. As I understand it, they are communicating at the state level as well. We respect that.”

Smith said the same petition will be delivered to Martha J. Harris, chairman of the Maine Board of Education.

Smith cited a 2005 study by the American Psychological Association that called for the retirement of all American Indian mascots in American schools and colleges. The APA noted that research shows that the continued use of American Indian mascots, symbols, images, and personalities has a negative effect not only on American Indians students, but all students.

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Smith said continued use of the mascot is racist and “not something we can accept in 2016.”

Supporters of keeping Skowhegan the Indians say it is their pride and heritage to call themselves Indians, as they have done at sporting events for decades.

School Board member Jennifer Poirier, who formed an opposing Facebook group, Skowhegan Indian Pride, did not return messages and an email for comment this week on Smith’s petition.

Downing said the school district will continue to provide education opportunities, such as the March 18 Native American Recognition Day.

“I would like to think this year there has been an easing of the tensions,” he said. “I think there’s a greater understanding of the sensitivity of this issue from both sides. There’s passion on both sides.”

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow


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