LETTERS: INDIANS ALWAYS RESPECTED AS MASCOT

To the editor:

I would like to comment on the new mascot at Southeast Missouri State University. This is, of course, my own opinion. I feel the reason they have not found a suitable mascot is because a mascot should demand respect and strength. We expect strength from our teams and respect for the teams and the school they represent.

The mascots they have chosen so far are comical and do not reflect the history of the school or demand respect for it and its teams.

They may never find a proper mascot for the school as long as the school team is called the Indians and they can't use an Indian as a mascot. Perhaps they need to change the team names so we can get a mascot that matches the new team name. Of course, that would be a shame, as Indians are a respected part of SEMO history.

I feel they should have kept the Indian and Princess and let the objectors take them to court. We never disrespected the Indians. We honored them. Read the college history, and you will find mention of the Mounds Indians. The SEMO Indian mascots were a class act. Yes, they had a teepee and were dressed as Indians of the past, but it was done with respect for the Indians' history and in good taste.

The Indians were a strong in integral part of our history. That is why they were chosen as a mascot: to honor them.

No one picks a mascot that will be ridiculed or made fun of, such as a pussycat or a sissy. They choose lions, tigers or buccaneers and pirates for their strength and fighting power. And they choose Indians out of respect.

The movement by the modern-day Indians to stop school from using Indians as a mascot seems foolish to me. If the Indians are no longer honored as mascots, the future generations will only see Indians in old movies. I'm sorry to say they were not always honored in movies.

There were good Indians and bad Indians as there were good cowboys and bad cowboys. Objections were made to the use of the tomahawk as a symbol of the Indians. They used the tomahawk to get food, build houses and, yes, to defend themselves. It was a primitive tool, but it served its purpose and is a part of our history. Modern-day cowboys do not strap on a holster and gun anymore, yet we still use it in costumes to depict and honor cowboys.

If we cannot go back to using the Indian and Princess as mascots and can't change the name of our teams, I guess and eagle is the next-best thing. But it should not be comical. It should be strong and majestic and demand respect.

And all college activities that use the symbol should be required to honor it with beauty and strength and respect. And they should be fined is they use it as a comical symbol. That is the only way to regain the respect our school and teams need and deserve.

GRACE WILLIAMS

Cape Girardeau