Indians Not Welcome in W&M Homecoming Parade
[Published Oct 27, 2007 in The Virginia Gazette as “Indian Imagery Ban Overkill”]
Gone are the official feathers, but “The Tribe” lives on. “Tribe,” being a collective noun, is by definition comprised of individual units of something. The question is, of what?
Obviously not Indians since the College sent out a memo recently to all student groups warning that any entry for the Homecoming Parade “that showcases a Native American or Native American symbols will not be allowed to participate. The unit entry will be rejected…” It’s one thing to ban the feathers from the official logo; it is quite another to ban all Indian imagery from a parade meant to highlight our college identity and spirit when the Indian word “Tribe” is still part of our official presence. It begs the question again – a tribe of what?
Note, please, that the College welcomes and embraces the inclusion of transvestites walking in the Homecoming Parade. I noted them last year. Heaven only knows how long they have been parading in front of children at a Saturday morning family event. Are we now a tribe of transvestites?
I suppose the argument for transvestite inclusion runs along the lines of the Hospitality Norm cited so frequently by the Nichol administration. It would be unwelcoming to ban transvestites from our parade. It would set up “insiders” and “outsiders” on campus. It’s part of a man’s right to free speech to dress up as women and delicately smile and wave from DOG Street as the unsuspecting crowd gapes in stunned silence.
But isn’t it free speech to use Indian imagery to make a public statement about the issue of our identity? Isn’t a parade the perfect arena for making a public statement? Transvestites know this, you can be sure.
So much for the welcoming atmosphere so religiously espoused by President Gene Nichol who removed a Christian cross from a Christian Chapel last year because it might be offensive to someone. The parade memo also clearly goes against the hospitality norm applied to the Philosophy Department last spring when it was placed in receivership for alleged “hostility” to junior staff and women, neither accusation justified by a review of the complaints.
The Nichol administration has been on the warpath against any signs of unwelcoming behavior on campus anywhere. Check out the new Diversity Office section of the W&M website (www.wm.edu/diversity/reportbias) and you’ll see what I mean. There is a page for anonymous Bias Reporting. Anyone, any time, can report anyone else anonymously for any kind of perceived slight and it will be investigated by the College. Neither the accused nor the investigators will know the name of the accuser. Are we now a tribe of inquisitors?
While I never saw the feathers or the Indian brave as offensive symbols of a worthy heritage—in fact, I have heard local Indians say the same thing themselves— perhaps now others will see that having an Indian as a mascot isn’t a bad idea at all, especially compared to what’s been put in its place.
Karla Kraynak Bruno
W&M ‘81