CANTON, Mich. (WXYZ) — A new mascot will be coming to Canton High School after the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools board voted 6-1 to get rid of the name Chiefs over concerns about cultural appropriation and in order to be more respectful to Native Americans.
Many district parents and alum sounded off at Tuesday's meeting, urging the school board to keep the name.
“I'm asking you, my fellow community members are asking you, please do not take the arrowhead down. Please do not change this name,” district alumnus Alexis Fernimos, who has Chippewa heritage, said.
Lots of public comment was centered on the school mascot and logo. Despite pushback, the ultimate decision was made to retire the Canton Chiefs name and arrowhead logo.
“I love where I was born and raised, I plan to raise my own family here in the future and I'd love if my future child was a Canton Chief,” Fernimos said.
The decision, according to board members, was the result of years of discussion and requests by some students who felt the name was offensive to Native Americans. A committee established this year ultimately made the recommendation and the board approved it. It was a vote met with anger by many who crowded the small meeting room.
“Canton hockey team is funded by parents. The cost for them to replace their uniforms and gear will be a big cost to these families,” parent Shannon Balog said. "Where's all the money coming from for rebranding? How much do you anticipate this costing?"
The Chiefs name had been in place for decades, with the arrowhead logo worn on shirts and found around school buildings and athletic facilities. The Plymouth-Canton Educational Park school complex is also shared by Plymouth and Salem high school students.
One alum with Native American heritage also spoke, finding the logo to be offensive and uncomfortable during his time as a Salem High School student.
“I, unfortunately, had to compete under the arrowhead mascot, which I always took to be a symbol of colonialism," Salem alum Rodolfo Palma said. "There were very few other non-white folks in the entire community, and it was incredibly horrifying to have to compete under that every day.”
However, other district families with Native American heritage spoke in favor of the logo, wanting it to remain.
“I, personally, as a native person find them very honorable and respectful," parent Gabriel Jim, a Navajo, said of the name and logo. "It’s not like the Cleveland Indians Chief Wahoo, a caricature, or anything like that.”
"The natives I know are honored by the use of names like Chief. They and I are proud of our heritage," said Steve Robb, a district alum and parent who is Chippewa and says his mother grew up on the White Earth Indian Reservation in Minnesota. "If you take these things away, the memory of the great American Indian will continue to fade away.”
Although the majority of comments and survey responses wanted the name and logo to remain, the decision was made and Canton High School will now have to find a new name.
"They have a right to have to not deal with this mascot anymore," Palma said. "It's a simple mascot. It’s so easy to change.”
“This community has spoken, the vast majority of them want to keep the Chiefs," Robb said to the board before the vote. "It is your mission, your duty to vote for the community's desires and wishes.”
It's unclear when the process of finding a new name will begin or how long it will take, but the board wants it to be up to Canton students to decide.
