PORT NECHES – By Justin Hinton, KFDM News
With the announcement of the Houston school district moving forward on a ban of what it considers culturally insensitive school mascots, namely those with connection to Native American culture or history, the Port Neches-Groves High School principal says the PN-G Indians are culturally sensitive and plan on keeping their mascot.
“It’s reverence, and it’s respect and it’s tradition and that’s the things that we promote,” said principal Marc Keith.
The PN-G Indians received a letter in 1979 from the Cherokee tribe showing support for the schools mascot and fight song.
Principal Keith says it goes along with the culture of sensitivity and respect given to the culture.
Everything that we do, we do traditional, cultural through the Cherokee nation, he said.
But not everyone across the nation feels the same about Native American mascots, represented through the calls for the Washington Redskins to change its name. More recently, members of the Houston school board voted to move forward with the ban on mascots considered offensive or culturally insensitive.
That means the Lamar High School redskins, the Hamilton Middle School Indians, and the Welch Middle School warriors are in danger of losing their mascots.
Keith says that wont happen at PN-G.
We’re a family, we’re a tribe, and that’s what we represent. And we are not looking at changing it at all. I can assure you of that, he said.
Superintendent Rodney Cavness echoed similar sentiments.
We will never cower to the political correctness police, he said. Every Friday night is a tribute to the American Indian.
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