Dowagiac Union Schools continues debate over use of Chieftains name, logo

Published 9:20 am Thursday, February 13, 2025

By Max Harden

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DOWAGIAC — Community members were given the opportunity to voice their opinions Monday evening regarding the future of Dowagiac Union Schools’ use of the Chieftains name and logo.

The DUS Board of Education hosted a special meeting at Dowagiac Middle School to listen to a presentation from the Tribal Council of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians of Michigan and Indiana on the subject as well as receive public input from community members.

“It’s a hot topic, not only in Dowagiac but obviously across the state, across the country and it’s something that’s I think worth having discussion about,” said Superintendent Greg Blomgren. “Every community is unique and there’s obviously sides within each community as to what folks believe is in the best interest of the community and the schools and all the kids and the historical ties and connections that this has for Dowagiac is no different than probably many of the others. It’s not easy, it’s challenging. There’s obviously loud voices and passionate people on both sides. There was no intent of coming here tonight to make any decisions. It was just an opportunity to hear and then to ask clarifying questions and I think that’s the path we continue to go down and just try to learn and understand and then continue to work together. That’s the idea, that’s the plan and that’s why the Pokagon Band leadership was here tonight.” 

Tribal Council Chairman Matthew Wesaw, Tribal Councilmember At-Large Rhonda Keene and Education Director Cathy Stone were on hand seeking to consult with the district regarding its continued use of the “Chieftains” nickname and logo. In August 2023, the Dowagiac Board of Education announced that it was keeping its nickname “Chieftains” and its logo, despite requests from the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians to remove both. In October 2023, the Pokago Band Tribal Council sent a letter to the Dowagiac Union Schools Board rescinding the joint resolution from 1990, which had involved the creation of a new logo by tribal citizen Ron Mix to better represent a Pokagon Band member and created programs to educate students and the public about the history of the tribe.

“This is about kids. It’s only about kids,” Wesaw told the school board Monday. “I’ve been involved in a number of these issues around the state and have been invited to participate in a lot of them to give the native perspective on what this does. I know it’s going to be difficult to make the change. I know you will take some heat from the voters. I know you may be in a position where you like what you’re doing and you don’t want to get voted out of office, but one of your main responsibilities is to create the safest, best learning environment for the students that are here. Not just the majority, all students. If you’ve got one student who’s negatively impacted, you need to look at that.”

The letter stated that several organizations, including the Representations Outreach Board, had requested that the school district discontinue the use of the nickname and logo. The Outreach Board felt it was important to nullify the 1990 agreement as it was not being followed. According to the tribe, there were several different logos being used by the school system other than the logo designed by Ron Mix, which was approved in the 1990 agreement as a better representation of a Pokagon Band member.

“I know there’s been agreements over the years with the tribal councils supporting the logo,” Wesaw said. “Nobody thinks any of this was done to be disrespectful. It was all well-intentioned, but times change and I think research shows that time has changed. So I would just strongly encourage you to put together the process, whatever it may be, to look at coming up with something different.”

Monday’s meeting was the latest response in a decades-long conversation about the school’s moniker, though the Band’s position on the topic has changed over the years.

The Pokagon Band Tribal Council formally adopted a resolution in March 2021 condemning the use of Native American imagery by non-native organizations. Dowagiac Union Schools are located on the homeland of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi.  

Many tribes and organizations within the state of Michigan and across the United States have resolutions that condemn and call for ending the use of Native American logos, mascots and nicknames including the Michigan Board of Education, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, United Tribes of Michigan (which comprise the 12 federally recognized tribes in the state), the Michigan Coalition Against Racism in Sports and Media, and the National Congress of American Indians.

Wesaw, Keene and Stone shared studies with the board on the damaging effects Native American mascots have on indigenous children, including a resolution by the American Psychological Association, which calls for the end of their use.

To date, several school districts in the state of Michigan have retired their Native American logos, mascots, and nicknames, following consultation with Native American Tribes. In 2022, the Native American Heritage Fund announced funding to four Michigan school districts to assist with the cost of replacing their mascots, including Saranac Community Schools, Hartford Public Schools, Lansing School District, and the Chippewa Hills School District.

“We’re not blaming you for this mascot,” Keene added. “We know it happened a long time ago, but we also know that when we know better, we need to do better. And the schools that have changed, they move forward, they never look back and they’re making history. They have a pride in making that history and you have the opportunity to make history… I know people like to say, ‘we’re honoring you.’ We don’t want false honor. ‘Well, it’s a tradition.’ Well, there are a lot of traditions that were around not all that long ago that we have since done away with and we don’t want to bring them back.”

Community feedback

Several community members expressed their thoughts regarding the Chieftains’ name and logo.

The public comment period was at the end of the meeting after the discussion items. During Monday’s meeting, 10 public comments were taken, with opinions on the matter roughly split down the middle.

Some speakers argued that it was time to move on from the district’s use of Indigenous names and imagery.

“The national trend is away from racial mascots. Imagine using another ethnicity’s culture for the school’s good luck charm,” said Pokagon Band Citizen Julie Dye. “What would that look like and how would it be received? Change is long overdue, and I understand nostalgia, I understand your childhood memories. Nobody’s trying to take those away, nobody’s trying to take your cheerleading outfits or your athletic letters. But that’s in the past. Our children and our grandchildren deserve better.

“I don’t quite understand this grasp on in the ownership of this mascot that is our culture.”

“As a white guy, I don’t think you should walk around and feel shame because you graduated with a mascot that had a Chieftain logo on it. But I think it’s also important to recognize that schools evolve and schools change,” said Dowagiac resident Gerik Nastrom. “They get new cafeterias, they get new auditoriums, new classrooms and sometimes teachers get pay raises. Remember that change is fine, and you don’t have to feel shame because something was changed. You can take pride in your local community and your local school and what really matters is the kids that are here getting the best education they can possibly get here at Dowagiac schools.”

Other speakers were against making a change, citing the Chieftains name and imagery being part of the fabric of the community.

“I had served in 1990 on our tribal council. I was in the past vice chair, treasurer secretary, member at-large and our elders rep and I have been elders council chair since 2019,” said Pokagon Band Citizen Judy Winchester. “I have talked to a few elders, and many are afraid to come out publicly and agree or disagree with our own individuals.”

“I was born and raised in Dowagiac. I went to the school system all my life. My mom and dad were born here, our kids went from the school building my whole life. I did sports and did all kinds of academic things in the school itself and I object to changing the logo,” said Dowagiac resident John Valdes. “I think the logo was great. We have several friends that are black, we have several Spanish friends, there’s nothing wrong with the logo at all. In fact, the [Potawatomi] came up with the logo themselves and I thought it was great. All the time we were going through school, we were proud of the logo. We thought it was great, and I don’t know what would be next. Are they going to change the name of the town? It’s a Potawatomi town. You can go on and on and on and eliminate everything. What are you gonna go to next?”

Mike Winchester, a 1968 graduate of Dowagiac Union High School and Pokagon Band member, expressed his desire to see the district continue to use Chieftains name and logo during public comment.

“I’m kind of disappointed that the Pokagon chairman and the two other people didn’t stick around because they needed to hear the public comments,” he said. “I don’t think they’re into listening to what we have to say. I’ve talked to tribal council meetings and what it boils down to is there’s no wiggle room. They want everything gone. That struck me as really bad – when you start suppressing history, that’s not a good thing. Our old leaders, they didn’t get paid, they were fighting for our lives to keep us here in Southwestern Michigan. We should embrace what’s here, especially when there’s people from out of town coming in here and telling us what to do.”

Winchester’s uncle, Joe Winchester, was the tribal chair of the Pokagon Band when the tribe and the school district reached an agreement on the current logo in 1990. The previous logo depicted a Native American wearing a traditional, full headdress. When Joe Winchester informed then-DUS Superintendent Larry Crandall that the logo did not depict a Pokagon Potawatomi Indian, the school district turned over the logo to the tribe, and artist Ron Mix, to redesign the logo to better represent a Pokagon Band member. The logo that the tribe came back with, featuring the likeness of the late Clarence White, is the logo that is still used today.

Winchester hopes the Tribal Council will take input from the tribe as a whole into consideration.

“I really think there should be some kind of a discussion,” he said. “When you negotiate with unions you always get everything on the table. There’s an image and a logo, right? Well, what if they wanted to respectfully retire that in the name of (Clarence White) being such a good guy? That’s something they could look at. That’s really something that could be thought about.”

With the joint resolution now rescinded, Winchester aims to see a future where the history of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi is once again taught in district classrooms.

“[The tribal council] rescinded the 1990 agreement,” he said. “The agreement should have been monitored annually. Basically, a whole generation of students have not learned the history of the tribe. That’s on the whole community. It’s kind of a tough pill to swallow and how do you make up for this? It’s going to be tough. It’s really going to be tough.”

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