Native American advocate supports Illinois bill that would ban native mascots in schools

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (KBSI) — A Native American advocate is speaking out in response to schools pushing back against an Illinois bill that would ban K-12 schools from using native names, logos, and mascots.

Several Illinois public schools are speaking out against house bill 1237 — defending their native mascots.

Native American advocate and Passamaquoddy tribe member Ted Trujillo said the mascots are dehumanizing and pointed out that the depictions are being used by non-native people.

“They’re not native,” he said. “They stole our identity. They took our customs and traditions and twist them and mock them to make them mean whatever they want it to mean.”

He said the issue with native mascots and logos has been going on since the 1960s.

HB 1237, which was passed by the house and is now awaiting senate approval, would end the decades long battle in Illinois — a change that would affect 90 schools, according to Capitol News Illinois.

Schools across the state – like Shawnee District 84 and Anna District 37 — are pushing back and writing to legislators. School officials said the long time school mascots are local traditions that honor native history in the area.

Trujillo disagreed.

“They get mad at me because I tell them, no, it’s not your history,” he said. “It’s native history. The history of your town is genocide and running the original tribes out of Illinois.”

Trujillo said the mascots are offensive and often inaccurate caricatures of native people — pointing out the commonly depicted severed head of a native man wearing a feathered headdress.

“They’re plains headdresses,” he said. “They’re only used by a handful of tribes out in the western plains. They were never used in Illinois by any of the tribes over here.”

Trujillo said offensive depictions negatively impact native students’ self-esteem and instill prejudices in non-native students.

In fact, in 2005 the American Psychological Association published a resolution recommending retirement of Native American mascots.

Trujillo said schools pushing back against the bill shows a lack of respect.

“They’re again not listening to native voices — not listening to our tribal nations,” he said. “It’s nothing to do with respect and honor. It’s about them.”