Nisky Forced to Remove Native American Mascot

“It’s a great day to be a warrior!”

The use of Native American mascots, nicknames, and symbols has been a long debated issue in schools all across the country. To many people, this is an act of taking the culture of another group of people and implementing it into our own, often with little to no permission. Although many believe that these mascots help promote school spirit and tradition, others argue that they perpetuate harmful stereotypes and disrespect Native American communities. In the article “All Native American mascots and nicknames must go, New York Says” by Times Union, New York State will ban the use of all school mascots, symbols, and names related to Native Americans by the end of the 2022-2023 school year; this includes Niskayuna high school.

Why? Well basically it’s because New York State believes these symbols are offensive, as they depict Native Americans as violent people. 

The Silver Warrior is deeply seeded within the history of Niskayuna, serving as our school’s mascot since 1958. It holds lots of historic value within our community, and helps represent the strength and perseverance that Niskayuna is known for. But with this new policy in place, we may have to remove or completely change our mascot name, which could result in the community losing or forgetting this important history. 

It’s definitely going to take a lot of work for us, not just as a school, but as a community to respond to this policy. First off, Niskayuna has already spent thousands of dollars installing new turf on our field, spelling out Silver Warriors. So because of this new policy, the high school may have to scrap all of that and replace it again. But what could be most difficult for the community is losing the historic value and connection with the name. While there are countless interesting and culturally appropriate mascots that would do a great job representing our town and our school, it could be hard for us to give up the name Silver Warriors, and then adapt to the change. For example, many of the cheers used for athletic events, which are centered around the name Warriors, are decades old. So if Niskayuna were to adopt a new mascot name, it would have to change many of the school cheers. Also, a large number of students and staff, especially those who have been working in the district for a long time, feel a strong and deep connection to the name “Warriors.” The name warriors makes many believe that everyone is part of a strong and dedicated community that fights with perseverance, strength, and resilience. After all, a warrior is defined as a brave and experienced fighter. While several are disappointed to hear that the high school may be forced to give up this name, it will be interesting to see where this new policy takes us.