The Salamanca City Central School District is located in New York.
After receiving special permission from a local tribe, the District will be allowed to continue using the Warriors mascot. The tribe gave special permission on Wednesday due to the schools unique circumstances.
The schools logo features a Native American man. It was designed by a Seneca tribal artist and represented much more than just another Native American. To many at the school, it represents their heritage.
On April 18, the New York Board of Regents voted to ban schools from using images or words affiliated with Native Americans unless they receive permission from a tribe. According to The Daily Caller, Seneca Indian Nation President Rickey Armstrong Sr. said that the School District, which is located on its Allegany Territory, has the the most unique of circumstances and many staff members and students are Native American, according to the AP.
The school is built on land they lease from a local Native American reservation. About 38% of the students at the school are from the Seneca Indian Nation. The majority of these students wanted to keep the logo. While laws and bans were meant to prevent people from cultural appropriation that may be offensive, many parents and students from the tribe saw erasing the logo as a means of erasing their heritage.
District superintendent Mark Beehler released a brief statement regarding the special permission. Beehler says that the school is honored and continues to value its connection with the Seneca Nation of Indians. He further states that the school will release a new curriculum for students to learn about the history and meaning of the schools logo. Educational resources will teach what it means to be a warrior in Salamanca.
Over 200 schools currently have mascots that have something to do with Indians, including the Braves, Redskins. Other states are considering action against them, like New York. This includes the possibility of more bans.
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