In 2015, North Haven Schools Board of Education voted unanimously to retire the “Indians” caricature it used as a logo and mascot. In 2021, the district abandoned the name “Indians” all together, becoming the “Nighthawks.” The move was part of a larger trend in high school, college and professional sports. In recent years, pro sports teams such as the Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians change their names as a way to respect the wishes of Native American groups. But nationally, and here in Connecticut, changing mascot names is still a controversial topic.
How and why teams, specifically in football, started using these names
People have all different opinions, explanations, and reasons why they think sports teams would use names that have a connection to the Native American community. According to Quinnipiac University associate professor emeritus of journalism Richard Hanley, “mascots were generally selected by students back around the turn of the century into the 1920s and they decided on Aboriginal American or Indian names because of their desire to reflect a certain attitude. Examples of those names included Warriors, Chiefs, Sachems, Sioux and Seminoles. So, they would take a tribe or an aspect of American Indian identity and adopt it to show a certain warrior mentality and it made for what the students thought was a good representation of their spirit.” It makes sense as to why students felt these names were fitting especially when it came to football teams. Football is an extremely aggressive and violent sport and to play football at a high level, you need to have a certain mentality to go on the field and not only get hit, but to get back up and continue to fight. Having names like Warriors and Chiefs among others helped stereotypically embody that mentality.
Tradition also plays a role in why some high schools around Connecticut like Windsor, Killingly and Canton still have not changed their name. Hanley explains, “there are schools that have that desire to retain tradition. Alumni remember the school with that name and that mascot, and they wish to hold onto that, so they fought, and some continue to fight vigorously against attempts to change the name.” These names and mascots have been rooted in the sports world and sports culture for over 100 years so it makes complete sense that fans and even former players would not want to have the name changed at this point.
However, some schools in Connecticut have changed their names. As time changes, not everyone, but certain schools and teams at all levels have made the decision to be sensitive to the offensive nature of these names. Hanley says, “there has been a greater sensitivity to misuse of the names and misuse of someone else’s identity and that sensitivity over the last generation has become very clear in the movement to change names from high schools such as North Haven Connecticut, Guilford Connecticut, and on up through college with teams such as North Dakota and Dartmouth.”
North Haven High School changes name from Indians to Nighthawks
On Dec. 14th, 2021, North Haven High School announced that it would change its mascot from the Indians to the Nighthawks. According to the New Haven Register, “the decision came after hearing testimony from the Native American residents and others who said the mascot was offensive, promoted harmful stereotypes and even could create an unwelcoming learning environment.”
Now two years removed from the change, members of the North Haven community still have different thoughts on the school’s decision to change the name.
“I think it was the political culture at the time, the indigenous people felt it was insulting to them,” said North Haven resident David Marcarelli. While Marcarelli understands the logic and motive behind the decision, his personal feelings differ. “I didn’t feel that way,” he said. He added, “I thought it was a great way to show pride in the Indian nation and North Haven has a history of an Indian culture, so I thought it was appropriate.”
Another member of the North Haven community, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of expressing a controversial opinion, was adamantly against the name change when it happened, and they still are now. “I’m very much against that,” they said. “I went to school in North Haven when they were the Indians, my son in his senior year was forced to change his name to the Nighthawks and it was something that was not comfortable to him. He grew up wanting to wear Indians on his chest and suit up on Thanksgiving Day as an Indian and unfortunately, he was deprived of that because of some politician in some other part of the state.” They also added, “there’s no question that when you grow up in North Haven and with the names of the streets and with Quinnipiac being a prestigious University right down the street that the Indian names are part of our heritage and we respect that tremendously.”
Despite some being against the change, other members of the North Haven community believe the change was appropriate. Kyle Pearson, a former athlete at North Haven High School, who played when they were called the Indians, said, “It took away from a lot of tradition that we’ve had in this town, but I don’t think the name change has changed who we are.” The former high school football player adds that North Haven high school changed its name “to be progressive. The way society is now, we’re moving towards a more progressive way, and we look out for all individuals.”
Windsor, other schools keep Indian Mascots
While North Haven High School decided to change its name, Windsor High School is one of three schools in Connecticut that still uses names and nicknames that represent Native American communities, remaining the Warriors. The other two schools are located in the towns of Killingly and Canton Connecticut. According to the New Haven Register, in the case of at least one school, that meant not getting a share of money from the Mashantucket Pequot/Mohegan Fund, due to a state law prohibiting giving the funds to schools that use indigenous nicknames. Despite backlash that Windsor and these other schools have received, they still have not changed the name and mascot that they use to represent their sports teams. While there is some understanding of how the name “Warriors” can be seen by some to have relation to Native American communities, many members of the Windsor community say that is has a much less direct connection than other names.
Don Trinks, a member of the Windsor community says, “I don’t know that the Warriors as Windsor is an insult to our Native Americans and there’s been no talk in the Windsor community about changing the name.”
Former Windsor high school student Jason Robar says, “I remember having this discussion in English class and I think in regards to names compared to other schools, the name ‘Warriors’ is a little less directly native, but you could definitely argue the point that there is some native connection there especially with the logo being a spearhead.”
Windsor High School Athletic Director, Christopher Fulton never responded to a request for comment on his district’s mascot.
What the future holds
This is not a controversy or discussion that will be ending any time soon. The fact that three schools in Connecticut still do not want to change their names and mascots proves that schools and sports teams at all different levels are not quite ready to let go of their old ways and traditions. On the contrary, Quinnipiac Professor Richard Hanley believes that “these battles will be resolved within the next generation as people become more aware of what the name represents and as the desire grows to become more contemporary in their projection of identity to represent a more modern sensibility.”