Hi I'm Eric Ford for Made Here.

Portland, Maine, director David Camlins latest film, We Are The Warriors dives into the school mascot controversy In Wells, Maine, the town decides the fate of its Native American mascot after facing public allegations of racist behavior at a high school football game.

Here in Vermont, weve heard very similar stories as seen in the film.

As people struggle with issues of race, identity and the past.

You can watch We Are The Warrior and other great Made Here films streaming on vermontpublic.org and through the PBS app.

Enjoy the film and thanks for watching.

(gentle music) - Well, if you wanna be in a close-knit community where people care about people, I think Wells is probably one of the best in the area, in my opinion.

(gentle music) In the summertime, you know, from say, April through October, it's a tourist community.

(crowd chattering) (birds chirping) (engine rumbling) (crowd chattering) But then in the wintertime, or from November through March, it's really a small, close-knit You know, I wish I could say everybody knows everybody.

In most cases, they do.

But still, you've got a lot of people that are moving in.

I think the school system is a big draw for that.

I mean, I believe we're around number three ranked school in the state of Maine.

It's a small school.

You know, it's a community school with Ogunquit.

400 students maybe at the high s My daughter went through the school system.

My wife's a graduate of there.

(gentle music) The Mascot at Wells High School, you know, it's been Native American since the '40s.

Warrior, Native American at Wells High School, or Wells School System has been It's just representing the schoo and there's been a lot of changes with the mascot in terms of Native American, you know, not just in the state but across the country.

(crowd chattering) (drum beating) (footsteps thumping) (whistle blowing) (audience applauding) The Mascot Advisory Committee wa came out of a complaint that a w when her son, playing on the opposing team, played at Wells on a Friday nigh Now, I was at the game.

Her family is Native Americans, and thought that it was, actually, they used the term rac which totally, totally inaccurat Did people bang on five-gallon b Absolutely.

Did they wear war paint?

No, they had eye black on with a and they're showing the school s And that's really what the whole thing came down to.

(crowd cheering) The yearbook's named after the A And the chamber runs a Powwow, (drums beating) in the summertime down at Harbor And they're there for the whole I think we've been very supportive of Native Americans in the Town of Wells.

You know, we wanna hear what they have to say.

(flute music) - [Announcer] The time's 10 o'cl and you are tuned to WERU-FM.

Wabanaki Windows, with your host, Donna Loring, is (flute music) - Welcome to Wabanaki Windows.

I'm your host, Donna Loring.

Wabanaki Windows is a monthly show featuring Wabanaki perspectives, topics, and opinions.

Today, we'll be talking about th and continuing issue of mascots.

These images that we've been use for sports teams or whatever, is been proven to be dehumanizin And I guess what other race of p have to contend with that and have to argue their humanity You know, I've often wondered why the Maine State Board of Edu doesn't really weigh in on this When I was in the legislature, I had people come up to me and s "Well, you should put a bill in to address this."

And my response was, "No."

Because if we mandate this throu then there's gonna be a big back And we really need to do the educational perspective, talk to people.

Which is what you guys have been doing.

And it's been taking a while.

- And I think with a Board of Education what might be key is to keep the pressure up and to emphasize that even if you don't have a lot of Native students at thes they're traveling the states, playing teams with other Native - Right, and I mean, the Wells thing kinda comes outta that, ri with the game.

Was it Lisbon?

- It was Lisbon, yeah.

There was a student on the team who was Mi'kmaq, and him and his mother saw the displays with the drums and the feathers and everything.

And, you know, I had no idea stu was going on like that in Wells.

(footballers chattering) (footballers grunting) (whistle blowing) So I first became aware of the Wells Mascot issue after the football game, where Amelia Tuplin made the complaint about the behavior and some of the stereotypical im I just kinda saw posts about it on Facebook and different things online.

So I was able to get in touch wi and just let her know kind of some of the work that's gone on in the state regarding these mascots and that I can be a resource for And we did establish a relationship moving forward.

Her and I got in contact and I wrote an op-ed that ran in the Portland Press Herald about it.

And pretty soon after that, the superintendent reached out t - [Donna] Do you remember what you said in your op-ed?

- I said a lot.

(Maulian laughing) (Donna chuckling) In my work through the years, people say, "Well, don't you wanna be remembered?

Don't you want people to, you know, remember you and be proud of who you were?"

And that's a very important distinction to make because we're still here.

You know, we're not something, you know, to be thought about in history books.

And because Indian has a human p they're taking that on.

The problem is that they're picking and choosing what they want from that whole identity.

They're not having to live the whole kind of Indian experie You know, they're just slapping on a jersey and pretending that they can be They can wear, you know, the feathers or the war paint, and they can feel proud like a Warrior or dangerous or, you know, like this savage s But they're not dealing with our high rates of addiction, our high rates of suicide, our generational trauma.

Kids from other cultures and oth are being taught that Native Americans aren't people, you know, that they're mascots, and there's no honor in that.

(somber music) (crowd applauding) - Touchdown, Warriors.

(crowd cheers and applauds) Big punch from 13 yards.

- How does anyone react to being called a racist, right?

You go into a denial almost imme And then there's a definite, a long period of anger.

I was angry.

And I don't know if I was angry 'cause I felt like they were calling me a racist, (somber music) or they were calling our kids ra What we were doing out there was To attack those, what I would call traditions, (somber music) that makes you angry.

And I don't blame people for bei I was one of those people that was very angry.

- My children came home from school and they said, "One of my friends said that we were called racists."

At that moment, with those accusations made in t about our community as a whole, it was a little offensive and un - That part is, it hurts.

And it hurts the town.

And I blame the media, because they jumped on it without getting any retraction from us or any kind of answer fr The story was put into the paper the next day, without any heads without any, not that we wanted to stop it, but at least give us a way to an Show us what this was.

I think she accused people of doing something they didn't d and especially kids.

And I struggle with that.

(somber music) And I sometimes have that tough of separating these accusations and the Warrior Head itself as a symbol, okay.

But I'm trying.

(crowd chattering) - It was hurtful that that was s and put myself and other parents in that position.

We can handle it.

We're adults.

We're all adults, we understand.

And I also think we need to respect where Ms. Tuplin was coming from, quite frankly.

But to say that about our entire community, (somber music) (water sloshing) I just thought was a little outta line.

(somber music) (water sloshing) (message chimes) - In the beginning, the first two, three months of this, I was getting emails from all over the country and they weren't the greatest of I mean, you know, it was like, we're racist.

And you know, "the whole town's and, "How could you endorse this as a superintendent of schools?"

(somber music) Folks felt like their backs were against the wall.

They're in a corner and you're forcing us to do something based on these allegations.

(somber music) So I thought it was extremely im to kinda separate the two issues And then I solicited the town, you know, who would be intereste in being part of this committee.

And we had, you know, 25 plus people that were interested, some that don't wanna see this mascot go at all, to some that wanted to see the mascot go 10 years ago.

(keyboard clicking) (somber music) - I wanted to be a part of that Being a former educator, having taught at the school syst I just felt that I could bring stuff to the table as an open-minded person because I really think this is an emotional topic for townspeople.

People that have lived here all don't wanna change anything.

Mos not all, most.

I was voted in as the chairperso Basically, nobody else really wanted to do it, you know?

And that's okay, I didn't mind t (committee chattering) Glad to see everybody.

Been a while.

From all the weath and so forth.

First order of business is, you should have have in your pac the minutes from last meeting.

- So we are here at Wells High S with a panel of Indigenous People from Maine to talk about the use of the Warrior's Mascot in their school.

Just this week, the Cleveland Indians decided to phase out the Chief Wahoo mas which is the big, kind of stereotypical caricature with the red face and the big nose, which is very significant in this whole movement.

The way that we make progress on any kind of social change is through education and communi So tonight is a great step in the right direction, you know, organizing the committ from the town and the school and organizing real Indigenous People of Maine that all have different experiences and stories and ways that they're gonna tell their side of things as it has to do with Indian masc (soft upbeat music) - We can go right down the line, however you wanna organize it, and then when you folks are fini then we'll ask questions after.

I think that'd probably be the best way to do it.

- That sounds great.

Thank you very much.

So I'm the Ambassador for the Penobscot Nation, and basically what that means is I represent our Tribe in local, state, federal governm I work on a lot of different educational outreach issues such as this.

I see a lot of places kind of sh and they're afraid of this.

So as you listen to us, you know, remember the kind of intergenerational things that our people have been throug and that sometimes it feels sill that we even have to say these t but we believe in it so much that we're willing to be here to reach out.

And I'm gonna turn it over to Am - Thank you for having me today.

(music) I'll introduce myself again.

My name is Amelia [Indigenous wo I am Mi'kmaq.

(music) I come from the Abegweit First N in Prince Edward Island, Canada.

That's where I was born, I grew up on the reservation.

I feel strongly that the Wells-Ogunquit School Department failed to protect my children from disc at school based on race.

(soft upbeat music) I feel that my concerns were quickly dismissed and discredited, and that your quick fact finding investigation was biased (soft upbeat music) - So we had to address the specific allegations made against our district.

That there was mocking of the Native American culture, that folks made derogatory comments towards the family, that she felt unsafe, that she had to walk, you know, from the field into th and she was being harassed the e (soft upbeat music) I wanted to slow down a little b and really find out whether or n you know, the allegations are tr We need to start an investigatio So we brought in our administrat and we notified the police, the local police department.

We had our athletic director go up to channel six, NBC, and look at footage, because they carried the game th to see if any of these things we So after a day and a half of investigation, we found out that, you know, the allegations made a were completely untrue.

- [Footballers] Defense, defense - Drop it.

- Defense.

Defense.

(whistle blowing) - I do not regret standing up for my children and Indigenous People everywhere I don't regret putting myself on a public platform to bring light to the cultural misappropriation associated with your mascot.

(paper rustling) I don't know if all of you can s but these are headdresses.

Headdresses are sacred and earne oftentimes seen worn by Chiefs, Tribal councils, veterans, and those who have made heroic s Our special connection to eagles and feathers brings us closer to the Creator during prayer.

Headdresses are not treated as c Ceremonial face paint is one of the most sacred forms dignity, and social distinction in our culture.

Hand drums are sacred tools used to sing our songs and prayers.

Drums have their own spirit and are treated with the utmost Now that you've had a glimpse into our culture, just a tiny glimpse, will you educate your students on what you've heard today?

(soft upbeat music) - I wasn't prepared to see Amelia Tuplin sitting at the table the night of our me We had no idea that she was goin to be one of the representatives And I have to give her credit, because it took courage, definitely, to come into that situation and that setting.

And she spoke about her heritage and things got a little tense, because, you know, we had opposi —for sure.

How would we advise our kids when they see neighboring schools like York, Kennebunk, banging on five-gallo buckets as noisemakers, putting their school colors on their faces?

- Okay, but your school colors and the banging on the drum just so happened to fall under a very offensive mascot.

Now, and they were fashioned- - So if the logo wasn't there - Well, they- - It's acceptable for kids to do five-gallon buckets and school colors?

- No, if it was a noisemaker then that's fine.

But I've also seen photos of an and many students with a fake dr that's defensive.

I've seen the headdresses, I've seen the offensive paint.

(paper rustling) This, was at your state game.

- [Panel] Not this year.

- [Amelia] Not this year.

And this has been- - I think that was hard for people to see photos being pulled out of history, not acceptable, but in people's mind, they opened the paper and they think that that represe - And I'm gonna retract a statem in front of all of you.

I think the behavior, it wasn't directed at me, but it was the behavior associated with your mascot.

And your mascot's offensive and the behaviors that went along with it were offensive.

And I'm sure they meant me no il They didn't wanna hurt me.

That was not what those children But it's what they were allowed because they weren't taught any different about our culture.

And I don't blame them.

So I retract that.

I don't think it was targeted racism at all.

At all.

And out of emotion, I may have taken it out of conte and, you know, called your community racist, out of pure emotion, because I'm like, "Oh my gosh, what a mockery."

These are things that I cherish and respect.

So now I'm glad I'm here, because now I can tell you that.

- I felt so much better after I spoke to her.

It was a conversation that should have happened months before between Ms. Tuplin and our superintendent or other representatives.

So it's unfortunate that it went on for so long.

- Yeah, we can find out, yeah.

- Okay.

- We've had Native Americans here for generations.

(gentle music) I'm not as good on the history as a lot of other people are, but the Ranco family has been in the Town of Wells ever since I've been here and long before that.

Okay.

And they have a Moccasin Shop right up the road, (somber music) and they actually support leaving everything the same, you know, not the whole family, part of 'em.

We've got the original Rancos here supporting and then the descendants saying, "Well, listen, I don't wanna move to the Town of Wells because of this."

(soft upbeat music) - Thank you for having the conversation with us.

Many of you know who I am.

My family's been a resident here for over 75 years.

- I had the pleasure of standing in the Indian Moccasin Shop with having this very conversation many years ago where he said, "Please don't do You know, don't change this because it honors us and what happens.'

We're gonna have to answer to the people of Wells because your father was such a great representative of our to That's a part that's gonna be the biggest struggle for this town.

- Yeah, you can say, "Leslie Ranco said it was okay," but I grew up with Leslie Ranco, and he said, "Don't do anything that's gonna offend the townspeople, because we'll get run out of tow We're not welcome here, as you may think.

And we were constantly reminded, "Don't do or say anything that will offend these people because this is our livelihood, and we'll get run out of town."

(participant speaks faintly) - When traditions and stories and they're ingrained in communi change is hard.

So people just, you know, it takes a while to wrap your head around that.

The statement from the Ranco fam how can you not say, well, if that's how they felt th you know, everything we thought about why we're, you know, why we're using this i is not based on accurate informa (somber music) - I didn't go to school in Wells but I was a teacher of Native American culture there.

And that's when I found out the mascot was a problem because the students thought Native Americans were not around any longer.

(chu So it was at that point that I knew there was a problem.

My family, being Native American in Maine, has been difficult at times.

(somber music) - As Penobscots, we're seasonal So we would travel to the ocean in the summer, travel inland to our hunting gro travel to the river and our fishing villages, and then we'd go back in the sum So we were seasonal, subsistence, migratory.

But we always went back to our same family camps.

So each clan, each family, would have a specific area of summer camps.

(somber music) My ancestors have always been going to the Kennebunk, Wells, Ogunquit area as our summ So we had been going there for thousands of years, our fami And when the wars happened, we were pushed further and furth And so it wasn't until the 1800s where the wars had ended, and we actually were able to come back to Southern Maine to reestablish our summer camps.

(somber music) - Down in Kennebunkport, Joe Ranco had his canoe landing, and this is our summer land.

And they would go there and he built and sold the canoes there on the river.

And that is Leslie Ranco's fathe And then Leslie Ranco is the own of the Indian Moccasin Shop in W And that is my grandfather.

(somber music) So this is our ancestral lands that we're sitting on today, and that's how it's been for thousands of years until 1936.

It became populated by very wealthy people and they just took down our home because they weren't up to stand So they dismantled our homes that we had there on the river.

(somber music) Being from the roots of where my grandfather came from, (somber music) prejudice and racial discriminat was all that he had known, especially in Southern Maine.

He went back to Indian Island and then came down to reside in But he didn't want any trouble with the people of the town, so we were instructed, as kids, not to bring attention to our family so that we would be welcome ther - We really had to use our voices as his children, as his grandchildren, as his great-grandchildren, to really voice that it's not ap to use Leslie Ranco, my great-grandfather, as their excuse or alibi.

(somber music) - My mom and dad, they rented the shop in Ogunquit the first three years, and then they'd go back to Sprin They did that for three years, but then they thought that was too short a season for them to be there.

'Cause at the end of the summer everybody left.

So they bought this place here i the Indian Moccasin Shop, because my dad made handmade Indian moccasins.

(somber music) - [Interviewer] Did people know you were Penobscot growing up though?

- I never told them.

- Why not?

(Joan laughing) - I was too afraid.

(chuckling) - [Interviewer] What did you think they were gonna do?

- I don't know, I don't know.

I wasn't used to saying stuff like that, you know?

- Yeah.

(somber music) - Being on the Reservation, you just, you don't meet people other than Penobscots, you know?

(somber music) After my father passed on, my mother took over and she ran We just keep running it the same and the same people come (laughi and we're always glad to see 'em They're more like friends now than customers.

(somber music) My children run the shop now, and I kinda supervise everything Because I'm only 92.

(laughing) This has been here now 75 years.

We have had this shop for 75 yea So it's a long time.

(somber music) - My grandmother, her brother, Ronnie Ranco, went to school in Wells, 'cause my great-grandparents liv And so, Ronny Ranco was like the big athlete of the school and the town.

(somber music) I didn't know they were like usi as an icon until there was that where that Mi'kmaq family, the woman, Amelia and her son, were at that high school footbal I'm a mother of a young son who also plays sports, and so I really felt a deep sorr and pain for the family that experienced that trauma.

It was really appalling to me on a personal level.

(somber music) - I was one of the people that, the claim to fame was I was able to meet with Mr. in his store one day.

And it's factual that he said, "It's an honor to me and my fami that we've chosen this Warrior Head as a symbol.

So I've always held dear to that for many years.

(somber music) - Here we go.

(somber music) (metal clanking) (Red Tide) (somber music) (footballers cheering) But at the last meeting, I asked the representative of the Ranco family that was the I said, "How do I go to the people of this town now and say, 'I'm for getting rid of when they'll say, 'But you sat right in that shop and listened to him say that.'"

Her answer back was, "That's not what he believed."

(somber music) To be honest with you, I thought she was lying.

I left the meeting, I got in my car, went home, I didn't sleep much that night.

Started thinking about it.

(crowd chattering) - There's a problem with them accepting the history because they don't want people to feel guilt.

But in order to fix a wrong, it should be out in the open so that the injustices can be ch and made positive again for everyone.

- The mascots perpetuate such st that, in my own personal experie most non-natives in this world don't even know when they're interacting with an Indigenous Native person.

They're expecting that stereotyp of the war bonnet, of the war whoops.

And so there's a complete disconnect of reality and then the fake image that they've created in their minds.

And so I think it's a huge step in education and understanding who Native Peo That there's a lot actually, that people need to learn.

And the first step is we're not that mascot image that they're depicting us as.

- Yeah, I mean, but the other thing too is, you know, in schools or whatever you have this image, and it's usually a Native image and a Chief in a headdress and some kinda warrior from the 1800s or whatever.

And this image is perpetual.

It's every day.

And not just the Native students see this, but everybody does.

And it sort of keeps us in that People don't see us and understand us as human beings, and that we're here currently.

- One of the clearest psychologi that has been documented is this thing called "possible selves."

You know, when you prime Native with the images around mascots, their ability to see themselves in multiple ways in a future that, where they have a future of achievement and they have a future of multiple possibilities, that all decreases.

Some of the other elements of the harm created by stereotypes expressed in mascots has to do is that as Native People, we have so few representations in popular media, like we're just not represented.

So that's where, in the studies, you can see that the harm is greater when there aren't other images and other media representations to counter that one which is fixed and sort of odd and used by non-native people in ways that we would never use that kinda thing.

So I think that context is a really important part when people look at the harm, it's really about that.

- Mm-hmm.

Okay, you're listening to WERU Wabanaki Windows.

(birds chirping) (engine rumbling) - I graduated from Wells High School in 1959.

The teams were the Wells Warrior and the yearbook, everything was the Abenaki.

I really thought it was honoring the Indians and, you know, that they had bee and as long as it's not derogatory toward them, which I didn't think that was.

I thought it helped keep their culture alive in public opinion.

If you take all that away, in a few years, everything about the Indians is gonna be forgotten.

I was out plowing this little fi over several years, and I found a lot of these tools like this.

So I collected a lot of it.

And then I was renting to a fellow that was taking a course in University of Maine.

I had a box full of it, and I sent that in, I said, "Well, maybe you profess to take a look at this, see what he has to say."

And Ed came back and he says, "I came in, I opened the box and the guy's jaw hit the floor.

So he came out and he says, "Where'd you find this?"

Anyway, we walked out there and I happened to scuff my toe and I picked up a perfect end sc and I says, "Well, what about th He says, "Did you plant that there?"

(chuckling) And I said, "No, no, we're finding them all over here."

So they spent the next five years digging this up and it was one of the largest Paleo-Indian sites in the, that they found.

(somber music) (birds chirping) There's three lokai right out he But most of the flakes and stuff were found in kinda circles around them.

So what this was, was a processi Somewhere they'd have a kill sit then they'd bring the materials and skin it and scrape the bones and make whatever they're going to out of it.

It's what they call Munsungan ch It comes from Munsungan Lake up near Ashland.

The Paleo-Indians had quarries u for this type of rock and they made most of their tool But this was found way down into New Jersey so they traded this rock all along the coast.

(somber music) - Our societies were highly deve but our trade networks and our economies expanded the entire continent and even further, you know, we got corn from South America, So being able to read that histo and the tools that we hold and the ways that they got into our territory or left our territory.

We actually have the cultural co to understand their significance in their time.

(somber music) The Abenaki First Nation has two communities in Canada, called Odanak and Wolinak, whose ancestors come from what's now called the United States, but who now have federal recognition in Canada.

We don't have the ability to get our ancestors' bones and belongings repatriated to us So much of our history is contai in those items that are found, and there's so much of our cultu that we can learn directly from our ancestors when we have to these tools and items.

And likewise, when we're not able to engage with them in that way, we don't have access to our own cultural inheritance.

(somber music) - My first wife was from Wells.

We got married and I finished co I was down here and the football coach resigned to take another job in Portland.

(engine rumbling) My mother-in-law told the superi that there's somebody you should about that position.

So we talked and I took the Well (birds squawking) And really saw no reason to ever wanna go any other place.

Taught for 37 years, starting in '66, all the way to 2003.

I was born in Canada on a reserv in New Brunswick, Canada, which is just over the border from Houlton, Maine.

So Houlton, Maine and Kingsclear, New Brunswick, it's a Maliseet area.

I'm a Maliseet Indian.

But we came to Winthrop, Maine, which is up near Augusta.

I was about two or three at that We were the only Indian family i I hardly ever thought of myself as anybody different, 'cause we were welcome.

It was a great place to grow up.

Went to school and played sports and we were the Ramblers and nobody knew what a Rambler w so we never had a mascot.

(laugh But, Mr. And Mrs. Ranco are friends of mine, I knew their son, Ronnie Ranco.

We went to UMaine together.

A fine young man.

He died much too young.

A good friend of mine.

We were kinda tied together 'cause we were about the only two Indians at UMaine at that time.

We both joined the same fraternity, Kappa Sig.

And when we graduated, he got the York football job, I got the Wells football job, and we played York, of course.

A lot of people called that the (Harry chuckling) We're kind of proud of each other, being there.

We looked at ourselves as furthering the cause of Native Americanism.

(engine whirring) After our talk, I'm going to get down to the Wells High Gym.

(engine whirring) Wells High Lady Warriors (chuckl will be facing Cape Elizabeth.

The Cape Elizabeth Capers.

There's another example of a hig that shouldn't get into any trou because nobody knows what a Caper is.

(chuckling) Phil Stirk and I, Phil keeps the clock and I keep the score book and we are both ex-teachers and and we love the sport.

We still love Wells High, and really it's the best seat in the house.

(wheels rolling) - Same time as coach?

- We talked to the AD two years ago, 'cause this is the second year we were in this new job, so two years ago.

(people chattering) And we said we thought we should take those symbols dow that they shouldn't be repainted But it didn't help.

- The rep should be here.

- What do you got?

- I filled it in for you.

- Oh, you did it for me, aren't you nice.

- Zomah?

- Harry.

- Harry Zomah?

- Harry Tomah.

- Tomah, Tomah.

Is that a Wells name or are you - I taught here for 37 years.

(crowd chattering) (ball thumping) - To me, it gives a mistaken image of Native Americans as a people.

Maybe if we take the logo away, they begin to think of it in terms of warrior is somebody who fights for what they believe in.

(somber music) Somebody who's courageous, devoted, somebody who wants to better the better their community.

So it doesn't have to be a Native American, doesn't have to be an Indian.

We're proud people.

We're people who are achieving n much better than we did in the p Still a lot of work to do.

There's a lot of issues facing u I don't think the Indian mascot depicts us correctly, and that's all part of taking down obstacles that we feel are in our way.

I'll be in my 80s in two weeks, so I'd like to see this policy change in my lifetime.

I think it'll come from enlightened participants on the committee, and I think that in the end, the town will do the right thing and drop the mascot, drop the logo, the imagery, and keep the Warriors.

(somber music) That's what I think.

(waves whooshing) (somber music) - Having Coach Tomah speak, I think it hit home with a lot of committee members because he is a, you know, a part of our communit and has been a part of our community for a long time.

He was the one that pointed out that the Indian Head is what he called a Plains India It's not representative of an Abenaki.

He said, you know, "That image also doesn't represe who Native Americans are now.

They're doctors and lawyers and teachers."

So to hear him speak, and make the recommendation that that the Indian, it's time for the Indian to go, I think was pretty powerful.

(somber music) - I remember when I was in high I had Mr. Tomah.

I think highly of Mr. Tomah.

He's a respected guy in the Town He's been a state Rep. You know, he was a Selectman her he was a teacher here forever.

People still see him around.

He's still at basketball games, he's still at football games.

You know, I would've told you I thought he didn't care about t (somber music) I think when he spoke and he sai it opened people's eyes a little (somber music) I think it was late 80s, it could be early 90s, when I had this conversation with Mr. Ranco.

He had a great reputation in our (somber music) and people come to him and say, "Hey, what do you think of the Warrior head?"

"I think it's great," because maybe I don't wanna tell you what I really think because I want to stay here for the rest of my life.

And maybe that's why Mr. Tomah never said a lot to us as students, you know, about it.

He liked what he was doing and where he was and was afraid what that would do.

(somber music) If you would ask me a year ago, I would say, "Over my dead body we're changing the Warrior Head.

This is wrong.

(crowd cheering) And maybe even if you asked me in October or November, whenever this incident happened, I might've said that to you too.

But when I start to listen to the Native American people, I'll be honest with you, I don't know that our history is completely accurate.

And that's starting to scare me because I've lived on the histor (crowd chattering) (somber music) (engine whirring) - I'm a longtime Wells resident.

My mother's family roots go back to the founding of the town.

And I continue now as a Board Me for the Historical Society in th where we have our headquarters behind me here.

It's the First Congregational church in Wells, was the center of Wells for about 150 years.

Just south of here about, well, just a few hundred yards was Edmund Littlefield's first sawmill and gristmill, that basically drew people to this particular location.

With the mills and the cleared land for agriculture, it was a natural for people to site their houses right along what is now Route One, only at the time, of course, it was referred to as the King's Highway.

It was a path that went right along the shore.

So they were very simple lives and difficult lives too.

There's a lot of disease.

The relationships between settlers and Indians were strain because after all, the European settlers were taking their land.

But with King Philip's War, that started about 1675.

You know, by about 1700, Wells was the northern most settlement in Maine.

At least for Southern Maine, there were French settlements further north, but for the English settlements, we were about all there was in the 1690s, 1700.

But the peace was short-lived.

The Indians here allied with the who had plenty of grievances with the English.

And so the rest of the wars afte we labeled them the French and I and there was one after another, that made lives extremely diffic And people lived mostly right ar the garrison houses, which were also right around the meeting house, and continually having to sort of retreat into those eight or 10 or however many were at th Some of them had palisades or barricades around them.

And during those times, the people that had migrated further inland had to retreat to this area because most of the houses inland were burned down.

(snow pattering) (somber music) - In Maine, the colonial history is a pretty violent one.

And, you know, one of the questions would be like, "Why are there Tribes only, you know, central, and by and large, eastern and northern Maine?"

It has to do with the way that the colonial history happened, especially, you know, British colonization.

There is the Penobscot Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe, as well as the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, and the Aroostook Band of Mi'kmaqs, right.

So those are the Tribal Nations in the state of Maine, or I think more preferably is we were here, and then the state of Maine came (chuckling) And there are a whole series of the French and Indian wars, that kind of mark that back and forth between the English expanding their colonial presence in North America and really impacting the Tribal of Wabanaki peoples in what are now the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont.

The English were building forts, the major townships that Native People lived in were constantly under attack and and, you know, massacres and captives back and forth.

And the hunting of Indians for their scalps.

And, you know, getting, you know, money for these scalps from the colonial authority in B was a critical part of this viol The Tribes that we refer to that would be sort of in, along these watersheds and in areas of Southern Maine and New Hampshire, we now use the term as Abenaki.

There are Abenaki communities, a little bit in New Hampshire an but also in particular recognized in Southern Canada.

(singing in Indigenous language) - In the case of Odanak and Woli they were formed by French missi Their original Jesuit names were St. Francis and Bécancour.

And we've since reclaimed the names that our communities call those places.

Odanak, in particular, started being settled as early as 1660 by our ancestor the Sokoki, who lived along the Connecticut River Valley, and several other small Tribes that lived in that area.

Because of that kind of mass exo in the context of warfare, we became a warrior society.

So our traditional culture chang and we would send down these, what would become renowned as the Abenaki raiding parties to go and attack English settlem throughout our territory who were occupying against the treaties that we had signed (singing in Indigenous language) And so the Wells Warriors, right And the Abenaki Warrior Head sym I guess it represents some of that history, but it's not one that we (chuckling) think that, you know, settler descendant ins or settler descendants should be celebrating per se.

And it doesn't feel, to us, like we're being honored in that way, because we're still not living in our ancestral homeland and we're still experiencing the generation's impact of being formed as a warrior soc (somber music) (birds chirping) (somber music) - We've talked about it in the committee a bit, how there was a Abenaki Tribe in but we've discussed it and we don't even know if that's Like we really don't know much a if there was Tribes and like who they were.

And I think that's part of the i 'cause using that mascot is kind of claiming the culture.

And if we don't know about the c then how can we claim it as our (somber music) We're not educated enough about the mascot itself and the Tribes that were here.

And I think that's part of the reason why we can't really claim it as an honor because we don't know much about - I think our alumni are attached to the Warrior head because of what it, what we thought it might represe We thought, and I thought, I think everybody thought we wer the Native Americans.

And I really think, with great intentions, that's what we were doing.

If you read the Town of Wells hi it talks about how they came aft and were savages and all this st And I'm like, "Yeah, but we were taking their land from 'em."

And I don't remember ever thinki the Native American as a genocid We learned genocide a lot in thi We learned about Armenian genocide, Rwandan.

You know, I never thought of it as some type of genocide, but think about it, we wanted to so they never spoke their language again, right?

We tried to separate families, and we kept moving them.

(somber music) I don't think it's always fair how we portray each side in this whole thing, and that's a big change for me over the years.

You know, it's come a long way.

(somber music) I'm not a snowflake.

I know that'll come out at one point during this, when I start to speak.

I'm actually a registered Republ believe it or not.

I just, I think you need to lear and you have to have an open min And I hope people are.

I hope it comes out that way.

(somber music) - So that's a great question.

Have I been moved or have I noticed anyone having epiphanies?

I think epiphany is a really, really good word here with what we have been privilege and how we've been educated with this process.

I have to acknowledge that, you know, I've identified with being a Warrior in high school and all the way through and my children have, and we have all the gear and, you know, it's all there.

But I said to myself, "I need to have an open mind."

And so in allowing myself to be a little vulnerable and na I feel like has really lent itself to this process and the fairness of the process.

Because being a part of this com we've been privy to some pretty, pretty profound stories that have come from the Indigenous people here, the Native Americans, Ms. Tuplin included.

Unfortunately, the entire commun hasn't been privy to those.

I think there would be an extreme advantage if everyone could know and hear the stories, the deeply personal stories and backgrounds of where these people are coming from.

- I think part of it is an attit "Well, we have this woman that c and made a complaint.

You know, who's she?

She doesn't even live here."

You know, that's an attitude of some people, unfortunately.

But we've taken that out of the We've got Warriors, we have an Indian Mascot, and logo, if you will.

What do we need to do with that?

(somber music) - In 2005, I was asked to represent the Penobscot Nation at Old Town High School when the Old Town High School School Board asked the Tribe for help to embrace that mascot, or upon the Tribe's wishes they would do away with the masc And so the School Board voted un to change the mascot.

And I think that was a really important step for the state of Maine, that here you have this high school called the Indians, which is two miles from the rese if that, you know, taking the le and doing the right thing.

My brother, who was two years ol he was a very successful athlete at Old Town and football player and basketball and hockey and really embraced kinda school And, you know, he, you know, is always asking me, "Well, why did you do that?"

You know, and he puts it on me because I was the face of the Tribe when all this went down, you know, that he didn't have a problem with it.

So, you know, just right within its, there's, you know, it's not to me it's not a Indian, non-Ind what it is, it's a human rights It's not just pressure coming fr the Native communities, but it's other groups that are banding together and saying, "You know, it's time And it's certainly that, it is time.

(engine rumbling) - People are here tonight for the community forum.

And the purpose is to get input from Wells-Ogunquit residents and Wells alumni.

I'm hoping that people just show for each other's opinions and everyone has a right to express their opinion, and I just hope everyone's respe - We've been gathering informati we've had Native Americans speak at our committees meetings and Harry Tomah spoke at our committee meeting.

So we're ready.

A Native American group has been I don't know who's coming.

And other than that, it's just been out to the commun and starts at seven and we'll se (somber music) - What we are doing today is we are asking you to connect with your heart-based to stop claiming entitlement and inappropriate ownership of our identity as Native People The stories that we tell our children become the reality that we live in.

The story that has been told here for far too long is one of conquest, domination, superiority, and ent If we hope to create a better future for all of us, for my children and grandchildre for your children and grandchild then we need to begin telling a different story together today And we have the opportunity to d You have the opportunity to do t - This image, to me, it says bravery.

It says strong, and that is what this community It has nothing to do with appropriating culture.

We are not divisive of anybody, we are actually all inclusive, which is why this logo has been here for so long.

It's not that we wanna be disres to the Native People.

My husband is Native American.

We're not trying to be disrespec we're trying to be inclusive and this entire community and all of you know it.

(somber music) - I think we've always had the greatest respect for the Native Americans.

The most disparaging aspect of this whole thing is how Wells got smeared.

The greatest thing that I've see is the disrespect we had to go t I don't know how you get over mocking a town from afar and making generalizations.

This is a great town, great school system.

As a people, we need to be less and just go with the flow a little bit more.

(somber music) - I have a deep appreciation for the woman who came forward.

I'm not sure we'd be here without her courage.

And it's very difficult in her position to speak up.

And I'm just so thankful, so grateful, that she had the courage to do t (somber music) - You have a school icon, and it's your possession.

So of course, you feel like we'r to take something away from you.

And I understand that you're trying to protect the school culture, which is very, very important in raising children.

And we're here for the children and all students deserve the same civil rights benefits that all of us are here to enjoy Even though you are trying to preserve your icon, we are here to preserve a cultur that has been here for over 15,0 (somber music) There's a lot of history here.

My uncle went to school here, he's actually in the Hall of Fam He is a very honorable person, but he's not a mascot, we're not mascots.

(somber music) (singing in Indigenous language) - My name is John Hayes.

I'm a graduate of Wells High Sch I had the opportunity to play ba We were known as Warriors then, however, I will tell you, we did not have a logo.

We did not have an image.

So that has come about since the I believe it's a foregone conclusion that the image will g How many saw the paper today?

What was in there about Wells to Anybody know?

It was this meeting.

That's what it was.

That's the attention that you've drawn to this.

So I urge you, make a conscious decision, don't dilly down, get it done, and move on with life.

Thank you.

(somber music) - I think part of the problem we is that we use the term mascot.

And to me, the mascot is just a very demeaning term itself, just all by itself is demeaning.

But when I look at that image, I don't feel like I'm a racist in looking at that and seeing a beautiful human being who represents strength, and courage, resilience, perseverance, community, the original peoples of this gre And so I came here today thinkin "I'm not sure how I feel," but I came down to the conclusio I feel that we should go with th of the Native American community that is most closely associated with Wells.

(somber music) - Take a moment and just kinda w the meeting a little bit.

I wanna really thank everybody f expressing your views.

If nobody has anything else to s I think we're done.

Thank you.

(participants applauding) (gentle upbeat music) Basically, we're gonna vote on i We're gonna discuss the forum and then we're gonna vote, and it's gonna be a paper vote, and we'll probably count 'em tomorrow sometime.

And I'll present at the school Board Meeting, June 6th.

(gentle upbeat music) - Different people on the committee have tried to compromi and tried to really learn and understand other people's vi And we've had a lot of people change their ways, who, for me, I wouldn't necessarily expect them to change their views.

And so it's really awesome that everyone's keeping an open When we had the panel come in, I think that helped a lot of people really see what this mascot means to them, how it offends them.

And it changed a lot of people's (gentle upbeat music) - I think for me, one of the thi that I found really fascinating to hear the perspective from some of the current students who felt, you know, it's time for a change.

And just because it's tradition doesn't mean it's right.

At the same time, I don't believe in erasing history.

And I think that finding a common ground is important so that we don't forget what happened in the past, 'cause I think that's how we make mistakes in the future.

This is an opportunity to define and redefine what it is to be a Wells Warrior and what it is to be part of the school district.

- It's all about how you interpret something.

Nothing was ever done wrong in W nothing at all.

It's a respectable situation.

So, you know, I don't know what the Native Americans gained by this, but hopefully, they're happy.

- I think it's really exciting to have all these different people together and peacefully talk about a big It's a great way to, you know, have an impact on what's happening today in our school.

- It was a unique experience and I'm glad I was here to be pa My first night when the Native American Indians were here was a big eye-opener.

And I think I saw it in a different perspective, so.

- I passed out a ballot with fou I put also comments there, and we'll talk about that.

I don't think our role is to determine what the imagery should be or logo if the school department decides to have one.

I think our role is deciding whether we're gonna keep using Native imagery or we're not.

(inspiring music) Okay, we're all set to vote.

So why don't you vote?

I did bring a little box here.

Been an experience, really has, been a learning experience really.

When they asked me to be the cha that was really my number one thing is make sure everyone, every single person has a voice.

Whether they talked openly here, whether they decide to call me on the phone, whatever.

And I think we did that.

(inspiring music) I really wanna thank the 26 committee members for their active participation, their passion, for having an open mind.

'Cause this was really not a simple process, and people really thought hard o But this is our recommendation, and personally, I think I've had a lot of people, whether it's on Facebook or at the game the other day or said, "As long as we're Warriors I'm good with that."

And that's So.

Thank you.

- And consideration and approval of Mascot Advisory Committee Recommendation.

Is there a motion?

- I'll move to approve the recom of the Mascot Advisory Committee remove Native American imagery from district items.

Two, retain the use of the Warri Three, incorporate the use of the Warrior name by all WOCSD schools.

And four, to retire the Warrior Head imagery in the Wells High School Hall of - Thank you, do we have a second - Second.

- Any discussion?

All in favor?

Okay, motion passes.

(birds chirping) (gentle music) (banner rustling) (gentle music) - So this money is gonna go to the Cousins family for Cam Cousins, Team Cam fundraiser for offset the medical costs for Cam's treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma.

(coughing) (crowd chattering) - Good morning.

(crowd chattering) - That's awesome.

That's awesome.

(people chattering) - All right.

- That's awesome.

- The chairs are $50 each and the banners, the flags, like we've got up here are $50.

The mats are $100.

We wanna try and take what has been a difficult ordeal and turn it into something good for a family that can certainly use it, and for one of our own.

- Okay.

- Thank you.

- Yep, that's for me.

Well, I was born and raised in S so I was a Sanford Redskin growi And then my husband and I moved here and had children and settled here almost 30 years (people chattering) - Right, thank you very much.

- Thank you.

And we were still Redskins when I graduated, but then they became the Spartan the last few decades.

My son is a football player here and I knew that he would want something from these, the before times, when we could use the feather and the head.

(somber music) - This really boils down to there are people who find this extremely offensive.

And, you know, the Redskins term is the most offensive.

There is the 1755 Scalp Proclamation that offered, you know, pounds for a scalp.

(somber music) Those are what were called Redsk along with the beaver skins.

And, you know, I did the math and in today's money, 1755, 50 pounds was almost $12,0 for people to go out, and basically hunt Penobscot peo You know, in my travels around t I was asked to go speak from the Civil Rights Club, I guess, at Sanford High School, which was the Redskins at the ti One student asked me why I wante to change their mascot.

And I says, "I've never asked you to change your mascot.

I just defined what it was.

If you feel okay rallying around that imagery, that isn't my problem.

That's the school's problem."

But they changed.

(somber music) - So I was part of six members of the school board who were vot I did vote for it, but I didn't vote with my heart.

I kinda regret that, but I hesitated, and I think my hesitation at least was the voice of, you know, the other people who didn't want it to go away.

(somber music) (banner thuds) Skowhegan is the last on the lis and so I just feel for them that they're last and someone's gonna come after them.

(chuckling) (crowd chattering) (drums beating) (drums beating) (whistle blowing) (drums beating) - The people that were put toget to represent a larger body of community members to make the decision were well-i well-educated and shared that knowledge with who asked.

So I feel like if someone's miss or feeling like we're missing so it might be for nostalgia.

To me, it's unfortunate, I think, if people are kind of holding that grudge.

Because we have a lot to be prou you know, and we're always gonna be Warriors.

We don't need a specific picture or anything to identify with.

(slow upbeat music) (crowd chattering) (singing in Indigenous language) - It is one thing for the institution to make a decision that they no longer embrace a racist mascot.

But if there's no accountability for those who continue to embrace that at the instituti or at institutional events, I think that the institution hasn't really done the job that they're advertising that they did.

(chuckling) My community members would say l "40 miles in, 40 miles out."

40 miles out, you know, like that's part of wa of the culture of racism, right?

It's like, yeah, you acknowledge and then you change the rule, and then you enforce the rule ch and you're also teaching people not to think that way.

It's more than just individuals to change their mindset.

It's a part of an entire fabric that was founded to behave as co (crowd cheering and applauding) - I think that the major work that needs to be done still, if any, is in the mindset of the that are holding onto it.

I'd say that's where the most progress needs to be made.

Otherwise, I think it's been greatly accepted and I don't think there's a specific deadline.

We did what we could immediately and I believe there was only one athletic team and perhaps one, maybe emblem on a band vehicle that we had to change.

And those things are in process as are any other, kinda Warrior symbols that are, that are in the gym and so on.

(singing the United States natio (crowd cheers and applauds) - It's unfortunate what they did obviously, changing the mascot.

I can understand, you know, the reason why somebody may be against it, but I think it's kind of sad that some woman was able to eliminate the mascot just because some people embellished something that meant more to others.

It's just, it's the race card, y It's really hard to avoid the ra When somebody pulls up something and talks about something that has to do with a race or cu or, you know, there's so much going on in this world right now with that, you know.

(singing in Indigenous language) It's just, I understand that to avoid confl they had to do it.

(soft upbeat music) (sports commentator talking) - I think it's a real challenge for communities wrestling with the mascot issue to kind of think, "How do I deal with this history the legacy of this mascot and make something anew?"

And I don't doubt people's emotional attachment to them, to me, that's as real as anythin It's just based around kind of a or a misrepresentation or misunderstanding of things.

I think that question, like, "Why do people want Indian is actually a really... You know, people will be like, "It's about honoring" or whateve but why?

Why are you, X school district, interested in a mascot who is a Native Pers (crowd chattering) - I hope people look at it as Wells at least listened.

Wells formed a committee, they looked at it, the district looked at it, the school board looked at it, our administration looked at it.

The people of Wells, at least took a hard look at the (crowd chattering) And we tried to look at it without that bias, without the bias of being angry about one thing, while not focused on the real issue at hand.

(crowd chattering) (soft upbeat music) At least as a community, you took some time outta your lives to say, "Why do these people not feel it's an honor?"

You know, maybe we have more education in the school.

Maybe that's a way to honor 'em, or maybe, you know, we invite them in to talk about things.

You know, maybe those are the things we do to honor 'em.

(crowd cheering) I hope, you know, looking back w to watch this eventually, that it's a great thing for our town to look back on.

And I think it can be.

(gentle music) (singing in Indigenous language) (singing in Indigenous language) Vermont Public partnering with local filmmakers to bring you stories made here for more visit vermontpublic.org