The

Majority has Spoken.

The overwhelming majority of Wisconsin Indian tribes through the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council
has spoken asking all Wisconsin high schools to retire the nickname Indians from their sports teams.
They have told us its offensive to them and harmful to their children. When the majority of the people
we say we are honoring tell us they dont feel honored, but instead feel offended, why does Berlin High
School continue to use their name?
These people are not outside radical agitators. They are the people whose ancestors lived on this
land. Their great-great grandmothers and grandfathers were the Mascoutins who assimilated into other
tribes. These are the very people we say we are honoring with our mascot. These are the people we
say we dont want to forget. We say we want to keep their spirits alive. But their spirits are alive and
they have been asking us to change our mascot since the1990s. Over half of Wisconsin schools that
had Indian nicknames have responded by changing them.
A recent Berlin Area School District mascot survey was done and it was reported that there was
overwhelming support for keeping the Indian mascot. Since 6,050 survey postcards were distributed
and 1,237 responded in support, it is hardly overwhelming. Its 20%. Most people still dont even realize
these requests by the Wisconsin Indian tribes have been made. They are busy with the demands and
concerns in their own lives and havent had the time or inclination to study the issues so they dont really
understand the need for change.
This is not a trivial matter. Once people realize how powerful this stereotyping is, they begin to
understand why calling sports teams Indians is offensive to most Indians and is harmful to their
children. It is harmful to all our children if our schools not only condone this stereotyping, but actually
model it. Research showing this to be true has been validated by the American Psychological
Association.
Berlin is becoming a more diverse community and for the most part seems open and welcoming to
all. This is why it puzzles me that Berlin schools have not taken advantage of the resources for cultural
outreach offered by the Wisconsin Indian Education Association at the January 2014 school board
meeting. Are we worried that our kids might come to understand that using the term Indians for our
sports teams is disrespectful? Then what? It puts the adults, who feel the need to keep the nickname,
in the awkward position of trying to explain to children why pride in that nickname is more important than
the actual people they say they are honoring.
Please, encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to educate themselves and their children about
this important issue. Let our schools educators and our school board know they dont have to fear for
their jobs when they teach respect and welcome in differences of opinion. An excellent resource for
learning about this issue is: www.indianmascots.com
Many Wisconsin school districts have decided to change their teams mascots. Change will come for
Berlin someday as well, and for our childrens sake, the sooner the better.
Jean Bruce, Berlin High School Class of 1960