The Ocean Signal | August 23rd - September 5th, 2013
Toms River Indian: A Racist Mascot?
by Frank Cipriani A recent article in the New York Times focused on renaming the Washington Redskins because, let’s face it. It’s a racist name, and is it really okay to accept racism in the name of tradition? What sets us apart as Americans is our adaptability. We change with the times and hopefully try to redress the historical wrongs perpetrated against innocent people at different times in our history. For example, our rejection of Jim Crow in the 1960s, our moving toward equality for women in the 1970s and the fact that we are beginning to embrace the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, as evidenced by the recent Supreme Court decision. Whether or not we admit it, we are still a society that profiles, both racially and culturally. The recent rash of anti-Islamic sentiment is just one such example, with bile and bias fueled by the very white middle class men and women of talk radio. Someday, hopefully, the detaining of prisoners without benefit of trial or even charges at Guantanamo Bay may cause shudders of shame the way our treatment of Japanese-Americans during World War II do now. Perhaps the willingness of the last two administrations to spy on its people will be seen in much the same way as we now see the McCarthy era. We have to be adaptable. We do love our traditions, but truly, our greatest tradition is to right our wrongs. And that’s the point of this article. Having said that, let me get to the main question of this article: Is the Indian motif at Toms River High School South racist? One could argue that it is not so Southsational or even Indianiffic for Native American observers of Toms River South Football games to watch high schoolers perform what amounts to the Native American equivalent of a minstrel show after each touchdown. Admittedly, when I attended football games from 2007-2011, I rarely witnessed these displays. The team was nice enough to refrain from scoring touchdowns which would lead to these ques-
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tionable traditions. But hopefully, now that better days are coming for South and celebratory displays will once again be the order of the day, is it time to re-examine the school mascot? I put the question to some high school aged kids and their answers and insights were fascinating. It seems that some of these youngsters had actually thought about this. One suggested that as long as the stereotypes weren’t negative, then the parallel between whites portraying blacks in minstrel shows and whites portraying Indians at a football game was not valid. One can see how South has dealt with the issue in recent years. The football helmet logo is a spear, and the student ID sports a stylized maroon feather. As far as I know, the hockey and baseball team still feature Indian heads. So while this may seem terribly racist to an outsider - and nit-picking to a traditionalist insider - I think the Indians have a simple way to beat the racial stereotype. See, the original “Old Indian Tom” was white and Anglo. Thomas Luker (for whom Toms River is purportedly
named) was born in 1660 in England. From any internet research I could find out about him, a family poem claims that Tom was a ferryman and that the Native Lenape called him “Tom River.” I tried to find a word like “river” that sounded like Luker, but was unsuccessful. The family poem states that Tom was called “puma” so often that he thought it was his name and claimed that “puma” means “white friend,” but my research shows that the closest word to “puma” is “punkwes,” which means “mosquito” and “punikwi,” which means “leave me alone!” which Tom may
have translated as “friend” but in a modern, Facebook-y way. I have many “punkwes” friends on Facebook. Many of them are white, just like Tom, and God, I wish they would punikwi! Tom married a Native name Unami Ann Princess (the name Unami is the language of the Lenape, Ann is a Christian name, and Princess was an honorific recognizing her First Nation father as a man of importance, so “Ann’s” actual name has been lost. However, it seems that Tom and Ann had the blessing of Ann’s father. He “went native” and lived peacefully among the natives, taking on many of the dress habits and customs of the natives. If this was the case, then Tom might have worn turkey feathers and buckskin and might have even painted his face. To add to the authenticity of its mascot, my best guess is that it should be a blond dude with a wampum headband and turkey feathers in buckskin. In other words, many of the Indians who have represented South over the years may have actually looked like Old Indian Tom. Then there’s the canvas tipi (commonly spelled
in New Jersey chooses to use the name of their “relatives” in Florida, most Seminole people would consider it an honor, and hope that the actions and intentions of the school contribute to the good reputation associated with the name “Seminole.” Not that offensive symbols are absent from the Toms River landscape. I have met many Native Americans who find the name “Indian Head Road” extremely offensive. I also happen to find it confusing. You know the place, it’s that place that spawns gas stations, just before you turn to get to the Home Depot. In a 1.8 mile stretch, and the road changes names, what, like four times? Toms River Road becomes Ridgeway Road, becomes Indian Head Road, becomes Bey Lea Road. Amelia (my GPS) is constantly grumbling “recalculating...” every time I go that way. Sometimes I drive that way just to punish her for what she does to me when I drive in the city. Bottom line? Keep the “Indian Tom” logo, and make him look a little historically accurate - in other words, like a white man who dresses in Native American garb. Meanwhile, make Toms River scrap the
teepee). See, Old Indian Tom would have never even seen a tipi, especially a canvas or buckskin one. Cone shaped houses were favored by Native Americans far to the north (the cone shape prevented snow from caving in the tree bark roofs, but were unnecessary this far south). To prevent a charge of racism, the proper shape of the tipi at South football games should be curved. One other point I want to make: When the intermediate schools were created and, ridiculously, the sixth grades were moved to these schools - much to the detriment of these students WHO BELONG IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!!! (but that’s something for another column) - Intermediate School South decided to take on the Seminole as the mascot. My daughter, who was in sixth grade at the time, called the Seminole Nation in Florida to ask if the naming would offend them. I still remember the beautiful answer she was given by the secretary of the Seminole Nation: the traditional belief of the Seminole people is that as human beings, as living things, we are all related. We cannot own a name, like Seminole, any more than we can own the land or sky. If a middle school
name “Indian Head Road.” I know that would make many of my friends in the Native American community very happy. In the meantime, I think despite the homogenization of the curriculum and core standards, we owe it to our students to teach the local history. Students need to know why the name of their school doesn’t actually have racist roots. How Southsational is that?
Jackson Schools
Continued from B1: The goal, according to the program, is to create an “engaging educational experience combined a series of instructional and motivational workshops with the excitement of competition, so students will gain a more complete understanding of the business world, and their potential role in it.’’ Shupin, who teaches business education at Liberty, said the week was a very valuable experience for the students. “Their attitudes and maturity levels transformed during the four days and they became young adults, ready to enter the work world,’’ she said. “They learned accountability and how their decisions now can affect them years from now.’’ “I am proud that our students were part of this experience,’’ Shupin said. “In fact, these kids brought to pride to all of Jackson by their maturity and professionalism.’’
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