Wakefield Must Drop Hurtful Warrior, Indigenous People Say

WAKEFIELD, MA — It's long past time Wakefield rids itself of the Warrior logo.

That was the overwhelming sentiment from a panel last week featuring Indigenous People and hosted by the School Committee. The purpose: To hear from those most directly impacted by Wakefield's Warrior.

Those people came through loud and clear. After weeks of everyone from officials to students to Facebook users weighing in, Indigenous People had their say.

"There are no sports team mascots that do honor to our tribal identity and our history or that of other tribal identities or histories," said Melissa Ferretti, a leader of the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe.

That was an almost universal message from those who spoke during the two-hour panel.

"In a way, I'm kind of speechless every time I see this ... it never goes away," said Elizabeth Solomon, an elder of the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag. "Every time I see it, it hits me, it hurts me."

"Your mascot is teaching your children incorrect stereotypes about people like me," said Brittany Walle.

"Over the years I have learned how detrimental this type of imagery can be, especially to Native kids," said Leonard Rose.

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Despite the overwhelming opposition to the Warrior, not everyone was in complete agreement that it should go.

Tom Libby said the Warrior should remain, but only as a conduit through which Indigenous People are considered and heard from. Getting rid of the logo could mean getting rid of a seat at the table, Libby feared.

"We just have to be careful what we wish for because we might just get it," he said. "If we do win this battle we might lose the war."

Libby said he would welcome a change if the school curriculum more accurately represented Indigenous Peoples.

Tuesday night's emotions ranged from frustration to sadness to hope.

"I believe change is possible and that it's happening," said Claudia Fox Tree.

She continued: "[Mascotry] is also a way to marginalize Indigenous People and ultimately make them invisible, and it is the dominant culture's decision about what narrative ultimately gets told."

For district officials, it was a night of learning.

"A very strong message was certainly sent around the absolute need for respect and mindfulness and an appreciation of all the symbolism in today's society," said School Committee Member Tom Markham

Superintendent Doug Lyons made his intentions clear.

"We do have a lot of work to do," he said. "The logo is the beginning."

Wakefield is in the midst of a heated discussion as to the future of the Warrior in its school district. The Warrior moniker was first used for Wakefield in an 1890 Boston Globe article, according to a presentation. More than six decades later the logo started appearing, and by the 1970s most of the high school teams had a Native American logo.

The current iteration of the Warrior logo, a front-facing man in a headdress and paint on his stern face, first appeared on the helmets of the 1984 football team.

With the School Committee expected to soon vote on what to do with the Warrior, this latest chapter could be its last.

But some aren't letting go of the Warrior without a fight. Whether because of sacred tradition or fears of cancel culture run amok, vocal opposition has formed against a potential change.

Then there are those who wish to leave the decision up to the people who are being impacted by it, many of whom are now on record.

"We just wish to be honored," said Faries Gray, sagamore of the Massachusett tribe of Ponkapoag. "And a mascot doesn't honor us."

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Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi. Subscribe to Wakefield Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook.