SALEM, Ore. — When Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber vetoed a bill Friday that would have enabled 15 Oregon high schools to work with neighboring tribes to ensure that their mascots are respectful of Native Americans, he left many of the affected parties scratching their heads.
Susan M. Ferris, longtime spokeswoman for the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians in Southern Oregon, questioned the governor’s wisdom of creating solutions to problems that don’t exist. She recalled when students from Roseburg High School approached the Umpqua tribe about the potential offense of its mascot about 15 years ago, the tribe’s elders didn’t form a task force, schedule multiple meetings or create myriad work groups.
Rather, she said, the tribe asked the students to do “what they thought was right and stepped back.” Within short order, she said, the students had jettisoned the image of a Mohawk. Today, the school uses a feather with its mascot, the Indians.
“Many of our tribal members graduate from Roseburg High School, and don’t have a problem with the name “Indians,” she said. “Why does the state board of education and governor?”