Panel votes for removal of Native American imagery from Canton school logo
CANTON — A Canton Public Schools committee unanimously voted to recommend the removal of Native American imagery on the school’s logos and athletic equipment to the Board of Education after a yearlong evaluation and significant feedback from the public.
During a public Zoom meeting on Wednesday, the 17-member committee discussed Canton High’s Warrior mascot, which has been a part of the school’s logo since the 1950s. However, due to its Native American depictions and images, the committee is examining the implications of the current mascot and its alignment with the Canton Public Schools and Canton High’s values.
The committee consists of members of the school board, school administrators and teachers, students and Canton community members. Based on their findings, the committee’s final recommendation, to be presented to the board of education in September, may influence the fate of the Warrior mascot.
In Connecticut about a dozen schools still hold Native American-themed mascots, including Canton, Conard, Derby, Killingly, Montville, Nonnewaug, North Haven, Wamogo Regional, Wilcox Technical, Wilton, Windsor and Torrington.
A provision passed in Connecticut’s state budget will withhold some state money — slot machine revenue from the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes — from towns whose schools have Native American mascots.
The Canton vote came after a
“Aren’t we all Warriors in some aspect in our lives? There are many aspects of being a Warrior and we should embrace the Warrior in all of us.”
— Resident Cora Mutch
reading of nearly two dozen written testimonies from the public regarding the Warrior mascot and its potential rebranding and/or replacement. All written comments read during the meeting will be included in the committee’s meeting minutes when it becomes public.
For resident Nicholas Cataldo, there is no problem with the high school’s current logo and mascot. He expressed being “disappointed to see our town devote this much time and resources to what appears to be a search for a problem that I do not believe exists.”
“Perhaps we can better serve our children by devoting our time, energy and resources towards finding ways to make up for the less-than-ideal learning environment that they have had to endure throughout last year’s covid-restrictions. My child deserves better education than constant remote schooling. Let’s worry more about recovering our educational standards and less time conforming to the latest politically correct trend,” Cataldo said.
However, other testimonies offered different viewpoints, like resident Michael Vogel, who believes Canton should not retain the Warrior name and should remove itself of all Native American connotation.
“While such arguments may be well-intentioned, I submit they disregard the history and context of the Warrior’s name, both in Canton and nationwide, that make it impossible to redefine the name without making it echo it’s problematic past,” Vogel said.
While several statements stated the school board should “embrace” the local Native American history and incorporate the Tunxis tribe into the school’s curriculum, opinions varied on what this recommendation could mean for the Warrior’s future.
Resident Cora Mutch said the mascot would be additional support in embracing the town’s past. “It is our history. We can use the C for the logo,” Mutch, who supports the Warrior usage, said. “Aren’t we all Warriors in some aspect in our lives? There are many aspects of being a Warrior and we should embrace the Warrior in all of us.”
However, Spanish teacher Tara Smith of Canton High said that due to the longstanding history of the Tunxis Tribe and the negligent treatment they received during the colonial settlement, the committee should recommend changing the mascot altogether.
“I am very much in favor of adding the history of the Tunxis tribe to our social studies curriculum. As someone that grew up in Connecticut, I feel that my knowledge of the indigenous peoples who lived here before the Euro-americans is very superficial at best,” Smith said. “Knowing what I now know, I hope that we decide to remove all Native American symbols from our mascot.”
Several testimonies shared similar sentiment and recommended replacements for the current
Warrior logo that would highlight other aspects of the town’s history, such as Canton’s ax manufacturing influence.
“Many symbols of different ax types represent authority, wisdom, power, strength and divine salvation. Incorporating an ax, whether it be a warrior’s ax or some other brand, will be a great image to connect our students to the Canton history,” a statement from the Negrelli family said.
The committee plans to survey grade 7-12 students to gain input on the decision prior to the committee’s final recommendation.
Students will likely be surveyed at Canton Middle School and Canton High School at the beginning of the school year.
The committee is scheduled to convene on September 22 for their next meeting. For information on the committee visit http://www.
cantonschools.org/.