Former students want Texas high school's longtime Indian mascot removed
Port Neches-Groves and Nederland faced off for their annual rivalry - Mid County Madness - during Friday at PNG. Photo made Friday, September 24, 2021 Kim Brent/The EnterpriseYona Ward was in the midst of reconnecting with his Cherokee culture when he heard the words, ‘Scalp’em Indians, scalp’em!” echo through the gymnasium of his high school pep rally.
Doiron filed a grievance against her former high school Oct. 7 and asked supporters of changing its mascot to call or email the school Oct. 10, Indigenous People’s Day. More than 50 emails from community members and advocates responded to the call-in asking the school to change its mascot,In November, Doiron received a letter from PNGISD to meet with the Board of Trustees to talk about the grievance.TEXAS SPORTS NATIONIt was a closed session, although Doiron asked it be open to the public.
“The whole school mascot name was started to honor the people whose land it was — the Karankawa tribe,” said Dariel Newman, Pearland resident and PNG alum who graduated in 1983. “They viewed upholding those traditions as honoring and paying homage to those who first inhabited that land, literally. That’s the way we looked at it when I was in school.”and performed at football games, halftime shows, and events in the community.
“I do not recall ever supporting the use of the Cherokee Nation in your school district,” he said in the letter. He continued, “Sadly, today, July 8, 2020, we received a notification to revoke the October 1979 certificate. However, it is important to remember that our PNG schools belong to the PNG COMMUNITY and any future decisions on this topic will also belong to the community.”Ward grew up in Port Neches-Groves in a biracial household with a Cajun mother and his father from the Cherokee Nation. Growing up, Ward said he did not know much about his Indigenous heritage.
“We’re trying to change it because it’s not right; they use it like a costume item,” said Ward. “They don’t see us as actual Cherokee people; they want to see us as the stereotype.”
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