Inappropriateness of "savages" as a school emblem?

[C. Thrush]

Friends,

As for the term "Siwash," I have to say that I'm surprised people would
offer this as an appropriate mascot name -- in my research, I see it used
consistently in very derogatory ways, well into the 20th century.
(Perhaps not by Native people themselves, but certainly by non-Native
folks.)  It's almost always preceded by unflattering adjectives, and is
used in ways that connote filth, backwardness, shrewdness, and so on.

(Interestingly, a relatively recent academic work -- I think from Cornell
University Press -- identified a Native man as Siwash.  Obviously, the
name sounded enough like Northwest tribal names that the author and editor
didn't think to check...)

Either way, though, do we really want mascots named after racial groups?
I think discussing whether or not "Siwash" is/was a racist term sort of
misses the point...

Coll

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Coll-Peter Thrush
Doctoral Candidate in History
University of Washington, Seattle
ishriver at u.washington.edu
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