Native Americans Take on Wokism

The public battle over the name "Massapequa Chiefs"

As with many Native American team names, controversy surrounding the use of the team name “Massapequa Chiefs” by a Long Island school district was sparked by a tiny woke minority that then engulfed the majority.

New York passed a law prohibiting the use of team names that perpetuate “stereotypes,” cutting off state funding as a penalty for non-compliance. The Massapequa case pits woke cancel culture against Native American voices who do not deem the term “chiefs” to be facially racist, but instead, as honoring their traditions. Many American Indians claim “chiefs” is not a disparaging name, but a historical vestige of their culture that New York seeks to erase in political correctitude.

U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon is investigating New York’s attack on the local school’s liberty, claiming the state of New York is “erasing Native Americans, their rich history, and their deep connection to the state.” Many tribal members agree with Secretary McMahon.

NAGA Vice President Frank Black Cloud writes passionately:

[W]hen a community embraces your culture with the deepest of respect and honor, it would be a vile display of ignorance to remove it. Our Heritage and culture were here long before the settlers arrived. Together, the names and images hold a profound Spiritual and cultural significance to all American Indians. In the history that has been marked by forced assimilation and erasure, the use of tribal names and images is an act of self-determination.

These types of honorary uses assert the sovereignty of American Indians and our right to define ourselves, rather than being defined by others. These names and images teach the younger generations about their heritage, values and help them find their place in the community, ensuring the survival of our cultural practices and knowledge.

This is OUR history and OUR contribution to the Great Fabric of America.

New York State Education Department spokesman JP O’Hare claims the exact opposite, relying on what may be a minority of voices within the indigenous minority:

“‘We have encouraged the Massapequa school community to consult with local Indigenous representatives.’

“O’Hare emailed quotes from Harry Wallace, chief of Long Island’s Unkechaug Indian Nation, who said that “the use of Native American Mascots perpetuate racist symbolism that cause harm to Native and non-Native alike” and from ex-Shinnecock Tribal Councilman Germain Smith, who said “we exist today” and that “to some Native children, it is hurtful to see those mascots.”

“Chiefs,” hardly a pejorative. The symbol in question is of a Native American with a headdress -- a depiction of a different culture. Multiculturalism, right? Not according to the state of New York.

The case involves interesting jurisdictional layers as well. O’Hare claims the U.S. Department of Education is interfering with state law, and is “inconsistent with Secretary McMahon’s March 20, 2025, statement that she is ‘sending education back to the states where it so rightly belongs.’” Yet McMahon is reaching past the state’s jurisdiction to support the local school.

New York threatened local school funding; now the feds could withhold state funding. McMahon announced:

“The US Department of Education will not stand by as the state of New York attempts to rewrite history and deny the town of Massapequa the right to celebrate its heritage in its schools…

“It is not lost on the Department that there are several mascots that refer to indigenous or ethnic groups – the Vikings, Fighting Irish, the Cowboys – and yet New York has specifically singled out Native American heritage. We will investigate this matter fully.”

Perhaps it is best to leave local communities to determine what they call their school teams, since there is no consensus on whether names such as “chiefs” are implicitly good or evil. Even the name “redskins,” which might appear at first blush to be overtly racist, is not necessarily so.

In a letter to Donald Trump requesting the President to reinstate the Redskins team name to the Washington NFL team, former Redskins defensive end and Cherokee descendant Jason Buck wrote:

“The scourge of cancel culture and wokeism has not stopped at the attempted destruction of our traditional American culture and values. It is also laying waste to the recognition of all public Native American names. The loss of such a national treasure and icon as the name of our Washington Redskins, which has been with us since 1933, is devastating to the Native American people and our traditional American culture.

“These leftist maniacs are going after every grade school, junior high, high school, and college in America. They will stop at nothing until they have erased all public signs and recognition of our people.

“The young braves of Indian society were not allowed to wear red paint, and only the greatest of Indian warriors could wear it. It is akin to the Native American equivalent of “Seal Team Six.” Using football speak, the name “Redskin” refers to the Indian Warrior Badass. For most Native American people and tribes in the United States, the name “Redskin” symbolizes pride, honor, and strength. The presence of the name “Washington Redskins" in the NFL proclaims to the world that all Native Americans, from sea to shining sea, are an essential and fundamental cornerstone of American culture and history.”

So one Indigenous man’s derogatory slur is another’s badge of honor.

Green Mountain Unified School District upheld the “Chieftains” name after a local petition was filed, despite objections by a Vermont chapter of the NAACP. NAGA supported local majority-white schools to take pride in their own team-naming rather than shame themselves and their past by cowering to woke slander. In a letter congratulating the school board, NAGA wrote:

“If we need to have a conversation on the Native American name or iconic symbols, let’s have that discussion:

• Native warriors are honored for their bravery, skill and fighting spirit.

• Native American tribes all use their imagery in similar manners (logos, branding, monikers).

• They inspire pride like a family crest.

• Being in the public eye is a positive reflection of our culture.

• Native imagery is a badge of honor that 90% of Native Americans support.”

Donald Trump has vocally supported the Massapequa school board. Perhaps the New York Department of Education and woke white people looking for a neoracist axe (or tomahawk?) to grind should, too.

(Originally published at American Thinker.)