JULY 1, 2016
S moke S ignals
5
Banks School Board approves mascot agreement with Tribe
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
The Banks School Board unan-
imously approved an agreement
with the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde on Wednesday, June
15, and took the first step in retain-
ing the district’s longtime “Braves”
mascot by eventually phasing out
the use of a Native American profile
as its current image.
The five-year agreement now will
have to be approved by the Grand
Ronde Tribal Council and be sub-
mitted to the Oregon Board of Ed-
ucation before it becomes effective.
“We are happy we are now in a
place where we can enter into a
partnership and look forward to
great things,” School Board Pres-
ident Raymond Mott said about
negotiations between the Tribe
and school district that started in
December.
The Banks School District be-
comes the first in Oregon to take
advantage of exceptions created
by the Oregon Board of Education
to its ban on Native mascot use.
The exceptions allow some school
districts in Oregon to keep their
Native American mascots as long
as they consummate collaborative
agreements with a federally recog-
nized Tribe.
The Banks-Grand Ronde agree-
ment requires the district to modify
its current mascot image to ensure
that it is culturally appropriate
with input from the Grand Ronde
Tribe’s Culture Department. The
new image and use of the name
“Braves” will be allowed as a sports
mascot, on all sports equipment
and facilities, and used in “school
spirit” related merchandise, the
agreement states.
Only the new agreed-upon mas-
cot image will be used on products
purchased by the district after the
on campus that will need to
be replaced or eliminated.
Harrelson also briefed
board members and the
approximately two dozen
people in attendance on
the Tribe’s historical con-
nection to the Banks area.
Banks is within the tra-
ditional homelands of the
Tualatin Kalapuya and
sits along an old Indian
trail that stretches from
western Washington Coun-
ty to Tillamook Bay. The
Tualatin Kalapuyan peo-
ple had numerous villages
Photo by Dean Rhodes
in what is now Washing-
Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno speaks at the Banks School Board meeting held on
ton County with a concen-
Wednesday, June 15, about the agreement between the Grand Ronde Tribe and the
tration of winter villages
school district regarding its continued use of a Native American mascot. Listening are,
in Patton Valley south of
seated from left, Superintendent Jeff Leo and School Board members Norie Dimeo-
Banks.
Ediger, Laurie Schlegel, James Harris, Todd Iverson and Chairman Raymond Mott.
The agreement states
that the Grand Ronde
Tribe’s goals are to build respect
Superintendent Jeff Leo said
and understanding of the Tribe’s
the district is happy to incorporate
history and culture, give all youth
the Tribal curriculum because the
the opportunity to learn the Tribe’s
current curriculum is “outdated.”
curriculum and to foster culturally
The agreement also requires
respectful representation of Native
that a school principal, coach or
American symbolism and pride.
other responsible official take all
The district’s goals are to foster
reasonable measures to ensure
respect and informed understand-
that coaches, players, students and
ing of the Tribe and other Native
supporters maintain a “respectful
Americans, and to adopt a cultur-
attitude” toward Native mascots
ally appropriate mascot.
during sporting events.
Graphic created by George Valdez
“This was a very serious issue
“If the school principal, coach or
for our Tribe,” Leno said. “Some
other responsible official of Banks
had different opinions on it. We
High School witnesses or is aware
effective date of the agreement
acknowledged everybody’s opinion
of derogatory and/or unsportsman-
and the district has five years to
on it, but our Tribal Council said,
like language or activities involving
phase out use of the old, culturally
“Which one is it? Is it the mascot
the Braves mascot, the school will
inappropriate mascot image on uni-
that is the important issue or is it
file a written notice with the OSAA
forms, signs and equipment.
education?’ Our council stepped up
(Oregon School Activities Associa-
In addition, the Banks School
and said education is a huge issue
tion) in accordance with their rules
District agreed to start using a
for us. We believe it’s a way out for
regarding violation of regulations,
Grand Ronde Tribe-created Native
our kids and into the bigger world.
seeking penalization of the offend-
curriculum no later than spring
Education is very important for us
ing school,” the agreement states.
2017 and to sponsor a Native Club
so we said education is it.”
The agreement can be terminated
for students in sixth through 12th
Leno said that he did not see po-
by either party. If the Tribe ends
grades.
litical
promises of getting education
the relationship, the district will
about Oregon’s Tribes into the pub-
have 12 months in which to stop us-
lic school system being fulfilled, so
ing a Native mascot and the Braves
the Tribe decided to create its own
name. If the district terminates, it
curriculum.
must stop using the mascot and
“If you live in Oregon, you should
name immediately.
know the true history of the Ore-
“I don’t anticipate that,” Leo said.
gon Tribes,” Leno said. “I’ve said it
Tribal Council Chairman Reyn
several times, but if you have the
Leno, Tribal Council member Ton-
real history of the Oregon Tribes
ya Gleason-Shepek, Tribal Attorney
out there, then maybe in five or 10
Rob Greene, Historic Preservation
years we won’t have a mascot issue.
Department Manager David Har-
People will learn to respect and
relson, Tribal Council Chief of Staff
know what we traditionally do.”
Stacia Martin and Public Affairs
Leno added that he has eight
Administrative Assistant Chelsea
grandchildren in public schools
Clark attended the meeting.
and knows that every dollar is
Leo, in his first year on the job
important. “Every dollar that goes
after leading the schools in Nappa,
to education needs to be spent on
said 3 percent of the district’s ap-
education, not signs or things on
proximately 1,100 students identify
the wall or whatever,” he said. “We
as Native American.
know this will be successful and
He said the school’s Braves mas-
hopefully we can look back and
cot has been used for about 85 years
say we took that first step toward
and is important to the community.
educating Oregonians.”
He said the cost of phasing out the
At the end of the meeting, Banks
old mascot in favor of a Tribally ap-
School Board members gifted Trib-
proved, more culturally appropriate
al representatives with baskets
mascot will be about $80,000 over
that included Banks Braves base-
five years.
ball caps, huckleberry jam and
The district already has painted
huckleberry-flavored chocolate,
the gym walls white and is prepar-
among other items.
ing to replace the Native America
“It’s been a lengthy process,” Leo
profile in the middle of the gym
said.
“But it’s been worth it. I want
floor. “As I said in an e-mail to a
to thank the Grand Ronde Tribal
bunch of our coaches, we have a
Council, which has been willing
blank canvas now,” Leo said. He
to work with us through this pro-
estimated there are as many as
cess.”
400 depictions of a brave’s profile