WA state may ban Native American school mascots. What about the Kamiakin Braves?

Fifty years ago when the Kennewick School District was opening its second high school it asked permission to name it for an influential Native American.

Chief Kamiakin was the leader of the Yakama, Palouse and Klickitat people in the mid-1800s in southeastern Washington.

But now if a current bill in the Washington Legislature passes, Kennewick school officials again will need to ask for special permission to allow Kamiakin High to keep its mascot — the Braves.

The bill passed in the House of Representatives 92-5 on Tuesday and is on its way to the state Senate for a hearing in the Early Learning and K-12 Education committee before a March 26 deadline.

If approved and signed by the governor, school districts would have until January 2022 to stop using Native American names, symbols or images for school mascots, logos and team names.

One of the two exceptions is if tribal members in a neighboring county give the school their blessing to use the name.

Robyn Chastain, the Kennewick district’s executive director of public affairs, said school officials plan to ask Yakama Nation leaders for permission to keep the Braves name and logo.

It’s not clear how current Yakama Nation leaders stand on the issue. They could not be reached by the Herald this week.

But the Kennewick district has reason to be optimistic, after receiving permission in 1970 when Kamiakin High was initially named.

District officials picked the name out of respect for area indigenous people. School administrators worked with the Yakama tribe and Kamiakin’s relatives, Chastain explained.

Tribal members, including Kamiakin’s great-great-great granddaughter, were involved with opening the school in 1970. Events included a presentation about the history and culture of the Yakamas.

The Braves name was chosen to symbolize “courage and strength,” she said. And recent years, the Yakama Nation has not complained to the district about using the symbols or the name.

The school name would not be affected by the bill.

‘Disrespectful’

The main sponsor of SHB 1356 is Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Bow, an Alaska Native who is Tlingit and Aleut, is the only Native American member of the Washington Legislature.

“Native Americans are not animals,” she said in a public hearing on the measure. “They are people.”

When Native Americans see others use their regalia, sometimes in mockery, it is disrespectful of the people and their culture, supporters of the bill testified.

Only five legislators in the House opposed the bill, including Rep. Brad Klippert, R-Kennewick.

“I hope that the people who might disagree with me or see my no vote, will not see it as a vote of disrespect, but rather a sign of respect and honor,” he told the Associated Press. “We want to honor the Kamiakin Braves and Chief Kamiakin with that name.”

Nationally, the Washington, D.C.’s National Football League team ditched the Redskins name and in baseball, Cleveland’s team is no longer the Indians.

In Washington state, 35 of the 420 high schools in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association have Native American-themed names, such as the Raiders, Chiefs, Red Devils and Red Raiders.

In addition to the Kamiakin Braves, the Wahluke Warriors from Mattawa and the Touchet Indians in Walla Walla County are among the schools on that list.

Seven schools already were considering a change before the measure was introduced, said the Seattle Times.

Some who testified to the Legislature said the continued use of Native American mascots is hurtful.

The state Board of Education adopted a 1993 resolution asking districts to review “building names, mascots, logos, activities, events, portrayal of caricatures and behaviors” to make sure they weren’t derogatory.

The board returned to the issue in 2012 with a resolution directing districts to stop using the names and mascots.

At the time, Kennewick leaders said the the topic had come up over the years, but there was never a serious push to change it.

This story was originally published February 26, 2021 at 11:29 AM.