Page 12 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021 PERSPECTIVE | FROM PAGE 5 teams’ logo. I never thought of it as derogatory,” Raiche said. Other school administrators share similar views. “It is truly embedded into the culture of the town,” Manville stated. “It isn’t simply a case of ‘here comes the Sachems.’ The cooperation that existed between the settlers and the Native Americans is why the town exists at all. We have tremendous sensitivity to how Native American terms are used,” Manville said. We don’t do anything that would demean the Native American culture. We don’t have anyone who dresses like an Indian Chief (though into the 1980s, cheerleaders dressed as Indians and did war dances) or who puts on war paint.” Claudia FoxTree, of the MCNAA, however, argues that any reference to Native American culture out of its context is demeaning. “Even what you call ‘positive’ is problematic, she said. “When words are used incorrectly, the original Native American meaning is lost, so it is not a sign of respect. Sachems are respected members of the community, she said, and a team by that name is in no way a Sachem. When words like ‘Sachem’ are used out of context, it is offensive.” Manville argues that this is more than a sports thing. “When we had to decide what the symbol of the town was – when we put up the new red street signs – the chief’s head went up. It’s up all over town. If you look at the town seal, there is a Native American on it. We have a mural at Town Hall that commemorates the Native Americans and European colonists who worked together to create Saugus. It isn’t as if we can just automatically change our names to ‘Saugus Ironworkers!” Townspeople bring up other arguments. “What about the Winthrop Vikings” athletic subcommittee member Bill Stewart asks. Are the St. Mary’s Spartans dishonoring Greeks? Tom Raiche brings up another issue. “What about the Salem Witches” he asks. If we study our history, this is a bad story – religious intolerance – finger pointing – ‘The Crucible’ – and all that.” “I think it is a problem when any group is minimized or ridiculed, FoxTree said. However, it is much more damaging when the group has been historically oppressed and continues to not have equal representation, nor equal access.” She continues, “For example, how many Native Americans do you see in the roles of sitcom actor, newscaster, athlete, police officer, letter carrier, movie actor, musician on MTV, doctor, or surgeon? And, she says, let us not forget that the team members are not actual Native Americans or members of the tribe whose name may be used. Would we call an all-white team ‘The Africans’?” Finally Manville says that the whole discussion of nicknames, and what they mean, can get very bizarre sometimes. “When I was in Burlington, he said, we were known as the Red Devils. I actually had a woman call me up once and said that bad things were going to happen to us because we invoked the name of the devil.” My Opinion Saugust, as it was first known, was settled in 1629. Now known as Saugus, it is a Native American (Algonquin) name believed to mean "great" or "extended.” Alonzo Lewis and James R. Newhall tell us that the Indians of the town called it Saugus; and by that name, it was known for eight years. The root word means great, or extended; and they state ‘it was applied to the Long Beach.’ In an early map COUNT | FROM PAGE 7 needed. [Residents] driveup and register using a tablet when they arrive. Saugus Police will be assisting with traffic. The testing site will be staffed by 10-12 individuals to handle registrations. All samples go directly to the Broad [Institute] in Cambridge for immediate testing with a 24-36 hour turnaround time. Notification of results will be made for negative results via emails while phone of New England, is said to have placed the word “Saugus” on Sagamore Hill. The river on the west was called by the Indians, Abousett – the word Saugus being applied to it by the white men. It was once called the river at Saugus, then the river “of Saugus” and finally the Saugus River. Every once in a while, ‘politically correct’ people ‘go on the warpath’ stating that the citizens of Saugus are disrespectful to our Native American Indians and want everything that has even the slightest hint of Indian history to be removed forever from our town, our eyes and our hearts. That’s one tall order, for example the Saugus High School yearbooks, The Tontoquonian, has proudly represented the mainstay of our high school since the 40’s. Sachem Street, Anawan, Arrowhead Drive, Indian Rock Drive, Saugus Ave, Seminole St, Tontaquon Ave, and Indian Valley will have to go in order to totally eradicate any hint that a moccasin ever set foot in our town. Those so-called do gooder’s want to remove all Native American nicknames and logos that they find offensive. What about our very own town named Saugus – and then, further down the river, what about the Saugus River? Will we have to cancel Lacrosse altogether as our Native American Indians invented the game? Claudia FoxTree has stated that all our beautiful signs highlighting the face of an Indian, our Town Seal, our yearbooks, and our logos are disrespectful and offensive. Did we deliberately spend all that time and money to demean our Native American Indians? How does that make any sense? Further, does she mean we can’t play Cowboys and Indians any more or tell that age old joke; I can make you talk Indian? FoxTree gets all wrapped in words rather than intent and I find her words, calling out our signs, logos and yearbooks, totally offensive and disrespectful to all of us who honor and are proud of our heritage. calls will be made for positive COVID-19 results. These sites do close when it rains because of risk of test contamination. The state has indicated the site will remain open until further notice. “This information will be on the Town’s website and on the state’s website: https:// www.mass.gov/info-details/ stop-the-spread?rgja#saugus“The Board of Health and the Saugus Health Department will continue to partner So, you ask, what is her intent? By chastising the honoring of our Native Americans, I find she one who is disrespectful to all that we, as Saugonians, hold dear and the question remains; does she truly believe that by removing any hint of Indian history in our town, she is the respectful one? In my opinion, quite the opposite. Maybe we should hold a powwow, smoke a peace pipe and establish a mutual respect platform for our American Indian culture as well. FYI: Claudia FoxTree-McGrath is a multiracial/multiethnic Native American whose father is Native American (Arawak-Yurumein) and mother is German (from Mannheim-Feudenheim). The Arawak tribe is from St. Vincent Island. Although she spent the first five years of her life in Germany and speaks German, she was born in Boston, has primarily grown up in the U.S.A., and been educated in Massachusetts, where she is active in the local Native American community. Editor’s Note: Janice K. Jarosz, a Saugus native and 1961 graduate of Saugus High School, is a longtime local writer who has deep family roots in her hometown. Her ancestors helped settle the town in 1812 and her great grandfather (Samuel Parker) sold property to the town for Town Hall. A proud Saugonian, she has worked on numerous community and civic projects over the years. She received the Woman of The Year Award during the 2008 Founders Day celebration because of her contributions to the betterment of the community. She is a former Town Meeting Member, a member of the Board of Selectmen and was the first chair of the Saugus Recycling Committee. She worked eight years as clerk of the Board of Selectmen. And for the last decade, she has been president of the MEG Foundation. Earlier this year, she agreed to return to the Board of Selectmen as an interim clerk following the sudden death of Wendy Reed. Much of the above article initially appeared in the Saugus High School Focus entitled “News” on February 14, 2007. with the state and are working on a planned response to the COVID-19. They are analyzing the data from the past couple of weeks and developing specific strategies to combat the spread through additional enforcement and intervention measures. We need to do whatever is necessary to keep ourselves, family, neighbors, and communities safe. Continue to wear your masks, wash hands, avoid gatherings, and continue to follow the CDC and MDPH guidelines.”
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