Keeping the "Savage" spirit alive and wild

To whom it may concern:

I am the student body president of Enterprise High School and I have been invited to write a letter to the editor for this month's Tiger Hi-Lites newspaper about the savage issue. Just recently two student body representatives and myself had the opportunity to speak to a La Grande writing class. Before we had gotten there it was our understanding that most of them sided with Sam Miller and after we finished most of them agreed with our compromise.

The compromise, readers may be wondering, is this: Enterprise High School may keep the name "Savages," but must get rid of the Indian mascot by March 30, 1998. The students must also have three to five options concerning a new name and a new mascot, giving students more choices to vote on. Though it's fairly obvious what the students want from the vote taken in October, with 183 students for keeping the name savage and getting a new mascot, 12 wanting a new name and a new mascot, while five didn't care about the issue. The ballots were given to grades eight through 12.

We have been called "The racist capital of the world" and have been given many hits for not taking the opportunity to change history, but we have reasons for our decision. First of all, where in the dictionary does "savage" say anything about an Indian. It doesn't. Webster's dictionary states that the meaning of "savage" is fierce, wild, and ruthless. We, as a student body, like to be fierce, wild, and ruthless in our sports and in our academics. It is our choice to be called this; we are not offending anyone. If people want to point the finger, then they can say we are offending and degrading ourselves, but we do not believe this to be true.

Secondly, we are changing history through our eyes. We are severing the ties between savage and Indian. It is our goal to change the mind-set of people and disassociate the "ties" between the two terms. We believe people who hear the word "savage" and automatically think "Indian" are the true racist.

Thirdly, we as a student body understand that we were offending Nez Perce and Native Americans. We know what it's like to have our feelings hurt, that is why we have come to a compromise. This whole issue could have and would have been solved a lot sooner and a lot easier if the school board would have acted in another way. We wanted a compromise and we fought for it; our name is the history of many in this community, we were not going to let it die.

For those of you who believe "..the mascot implied I [a student of EHS] was stupid," have a long way to go, for you are the racist. I believe that our student body has learned so much from this "debate" and I hope others will understand our reasoning behind our compromise. We are tired of fighting; this issue has torn our community apart. It seems that it's the community verses our local newspaper and certain writers who keep "pouring gas on the fire" with each issue that is written, stating only their opposing opinions. We, the students, want to be recognized for our excellence in academics, leadership, athletics, and personalities. Give us a chance to show you what we are made of. We are intelligent, emotional, understanding, and human.

It's been an on-going battle and people need to realize that an agreement has been made. This is what it states: For the '97-'98 school year we have the rights to keep our savage name and our Indian mascot; after this year we will remain the Savages and choose a new mascot. We are proud to be label "Savage," for it connotes our fierce spirit by which we pursue our academics and sports. Once the Indians mascot is removed, any person judging our Savage name as racist is revealing their own racism. 

Signed Sarah Gerner

My friends and I have all said that we are proud of wearing the name Savages on our uniforms. We are all upset that we will have to change our school mascot because some people in Joseph disapprove of it.

First of all, the name Savages wasn't meant to be offensive to the Indians, even though some people think so. Everyone I know of thinks of it in a good way. All of the time I hear people say, "It's just a mascot, I don't see what the big deal is."

The next thing I want to point out is that lots of kids in school have been looking forward to graduating as Savages, and having Savages on our letterman's jackets. "The people that have already graduated are lucky," my friends always say. They are right because the people that are out of school got to go through thirteen years as the same mascot.

One last point that everyone talks about is that in the dictionary the Savage definition isn't directed towards Indians. The real definition reads: savage (sav'ij) adj. 1. having a wild nature; not domesticated 2. Ferocious; fierce 3. Uncivilized 4. Vicious; cruel; furious 5. Rude; rough

We simply chose an Indian as the emblem. We could have just as easily chosen any uncivilized animal.

My classmates would love to stay Savages. Even though we won't be called Savages anymore, we will still be Savages at heart. Some people might even say we will be Savages forever. I know that I speak for all my school mates when I say, "I thought having a mascot was supposed to be fun. Well now people have ruined that for us. They just don't understand."
 
Signed Cami Conrad, Enterprise eighth grader

Now with the World Series over, and the Cleveland Indians out, the debate on native american names may soon return to a more local level.

Many rights organizations argue the use of native americans in professional, and high school, sports is unnecessary, and needs to stop. A fight in Enterprise has been going on for several months now over the school's use of "Savages."

This summer Sam Miller proposed the idea of abolishing the use of "Savages" in the Enterprise school district. The school board quickly, and unanimously agreed. Shortly after the meeting the local outcry was furious.

Webster's dictionary defines being a savage (adjective) as " 1 a: not domesticated or under human control: UNTAMED <~beasts> b: lacking the restraints normal to civilized humans being : FIERCE, FEROCIOUS 2 : WILD UNCULTURED 3 : BOORISH, RUDE 4 : lacking complex or advanced culture: UNCIVILIZED syn see FIERCE"

Webster's defines a Savage (noun) as "1 : a person belonging to a primitive society 2 : a brutal person 3 : a rude or unmannerly person"

Personally I don't like to be called fierce, ferocious, and certainly don't like being part of a primitive society. No matter what some people say, Eastern Oregon is not a primitive society.

Any school who mascot defines a building full of students "lacking complex or advanced culture" needs to take a second look at themselves. I would have a hard time attending a school where the mascot implied I was stupid.

The "savage" students in Enterprise need to take a second look at themselves, and notice they have a great opportunity to leave a permanent mark upon their school. By changing their mascot generations will follow in their footsteps with the new school mascot. Not only would these "savages" enrich their image of the town, but they would also help in the decision making process of a mascot that will be around for a very long time.

The school board knew what they were doing. Sam Miller knew what he was doing. My only objection to the Enterprise School board is their lack of faith in themselves. By allowing the student body a second chance at being "Savages" the board opened a whole new fight. The school board should run the school district, not the students. The decision to vote upon a new mascot is sure to outlive this school year, possibly much longer.

The school board has accepted the proposition of dropping the school's symbol, a smiling native american, but keeping the name "Savages." If students accepted the fact they were behind the rest of the modern world, being savages and all, and chose to keep their namesake, they should at the very least drop the cartoon. Being a savage football player may bring thoughts of fear into opponent's minds. Having to play against someone who was savage would be scary.

Sarah Gerner, Enterprise's student body president, has made the motion to change the school's mascot to a tazmanian devil, or a caveman. This in it's self isn't a bad proposition. But why only go half way? While changing the mascot the school should loose it's name of "Savages." With a little creativity and thought the school could create a whole new sense of school pride, and a brand new image. The students should be actively involved in choosing their new mascot, but not in the decision to keep the old one.

One suggestion which hasn't surfaced so far is to create some strange symbol, and dub your school as "the school formerly known as the savages." Not only would it be cutting edge, but good ol' Prince would probably even chuckle.

UPDATE?:
Copyright © 1997 The Seattle Times Company

    Thursday, July 10, 1997
    `Savages' mascot is cast out
    by Alex Tizon
    Seattle Times staff reporter

    The Savages have been banished.

    As of midnight yesterday, a small eastern Oregon high school in the ancestral valley of the Nez Perce officially dropped the use of the
    name "Savages" and its accompanying Indian logo.

    Gone will be the sign at the entrance to town that reads, "Welcome  to Enterprise: Home of the Savages." Gone, too, will be the cartoonish, bulbous-nosed Indian face - from signs and wall murals and wrestling mats and football jerseys and helmets.

    "Dang it, it's near the 21st century. It's about time," said Joe
    McCormack, the only Nez Perce in Wallowa County.

    While a relatively small accomplishment in the larger scheme of
    things, the decision was a major step in the improving relations
    between the white residents of Wallowa County and the Nez Perce
    people.

    County residents have recently invited the Indians to return to
    Wallowa Valley, partly for their tourism value, but also to make
    amends for past injustices. In 1877, white settlers drove the Indians  out of the valley, which is wedged in the northeastern corner of Oregon, and was once the home of the Joseph band of the Nez
    Perce tribe.

    The decision to drop the Indian mascot came largely as a result of a  Seattle Times story that featured McCormack saying he would
    never set foot inside Enterprise High School as long as it used the
    name "Savages" next to the image of an Indian.

    ...<SNIPPED>

    "Slandering Native Americans as `savages' is a practice long ago
    abandoned by every enlightened community on the planet," Miller told the School Board.

    "There is no standard in existence that would not define such a
    characterization as representative of racial hatred and intolerance,"  Miller said. "The presumption of our racial superiority expressed by  the degrading and contemptuous characterization of Native Americans as savages is not OK any more."

    ..............
   The quick and unanimous vote surprised everyone. The discussion
    then turned to selecting a new mascot. The board agreed that would be decided by the students of Enterprise High sometime this
    summer.