Rogue River, Ore. — Rogue River School District is taking steps to keep one of its school mascots. The Oregon State Board of Education ruled back in 2015, 14 Oregon schools with Native American mascots would have to make a change. Among those schools – Rogue River.
Seven Oregon schools are working with local tribes to keep their Native American mascots. They’re creating Native American lesson plans, in exchange for the ability to keep their identities. A Roseburg high school just finalized a deal. Now, Rogue River is hoping to do the same.
“A lot of people when they think about the Indian tribes in Oregon, they think about an Indian riding a pony across the plains,” Paul Young said.
A new deal could change that.
Young is the superintendent for Rogue River School District. He’s working on a plan with the Siletz tribe to add Native American lessons to the curriculum, in exchange for being able to keep Rogue River’s Chieftain mascot.
“I think if they took away the chieftain mascot, they’d be taking away the heart and soul of the school,” Cheryl Martin Sund said. Sund is a Rogue River alumni, and you could say – it runs in the family.
“All of my brothers graduated from there and my sister graduated from there. All of my kids graduated from there and my grandkids.”
Her father was on the school board.
“He was on the school board for 39 years, and I think that’s got to be a record for anybody to stay on the school board,” she said.
He was also part-Indian.
“He was a great-grandson of Chief Joseph,” she said.
Which brought her even closer to the true meaning of a Chieftain.
“Proud, and strong, and brave. They are willing to go the extra mile for what they believe in,” she said.
Everything she says her dad embodied.
“Absolutely, dad was a Chieftain,” she said.
Though it’s been over 20 years since her father passed on, his legacy is left behind at the high school’s totem pole, and the school’s gym was named after him as well. That’s why she’s supporting a deal to keep the Chieftain mascot.
“We have such a rich native american heritage right here in our valley that so many of the kids aren’t aware of. We need to make them aware of it and let them know why it’s important to carry on this chieftain name,” she said.
Rogue River School District will continue to work with Siletz tribe on an agreement. There’s no word when that may be finalized.
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