Loud, Proud Poky Pep Band Member

Published in the Idaho State Journal on September 13, 2020

This August marks thirty-two years since I got my first Poky High t-shirt. It was bright red with a white screen print of a Native American in a headdress with the words “Loud Proud Poky Pep Band Member.”  I played the trombone, so the “loud” came easy. As I joined the ranks of Pocatello High School’s culture and traditions surrounding the Indians mascot, the “proud” came even easier.  

Kevin Callahan, acting chairman of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, recently sent a letter to Idaho schools with, in his words, “concerning mascots”. In an August Idaho State Journal editorial, Mr. Callahan said, “We hope we can arrange for future dialogue with school districts and municipal leadership that will hopefully lead to improving and transforming local and state race relations. From a Tribal perspective, what was once acceptable is no longer acceptable today.”

He is speaking from a Tribal perspective and his personal perspective. It is important to me that I listen.

In high school, I loved playing the Traditionals on my trombone. I loved earning tomahawk patches for my volleyball sweatshirt. I love that I was a part of something that has lasted for well over a hundred years, but I am now processing how something so dear to me has contributed to undercurrents of bigotry and been outright racist.

Those are harsh words. Undercurrents of bigotry and outright racist. I say them without hesitation because, through reading and research, I have come to accept the slap-in-the-face those words feel like. It has been a very personal, willful endeavor in learning.  With that in mind, the question before us isn’t really, “should the Pocatello Indians mascot be retired?”  But rather the two questions before us are (1) is the Indians mascot racist, offensive or harmful and (2) do we care what that answer is?

That first question has been answered with personal stories, social research and expanding definitions of racism that come with increased understanding as diverse humans live together. The Indian mascot has intended to honor, but voices heard throughout the nation in recent decades are saying that the impact has been quite the opposite – that mascots have led to bullying, harassment and cultural appropriation that is an affront to Native Americans and their heritage.

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribe as a whole has requested that Native mascots be removed, but what about the individual Native Americans who think the Indian mascot and the way that Pocatello High School has worked to be respectful is an honor?

Here’s how I see it. The Poky mascot is akin to the Poky rock. It’s a symbol of pride and tradition when seniors and alumni paint it, but it’s also a purposeful target. Rival schools don’t often vandalize Poky buildings because they go for the rock. A mascot, like the rock, serves to be a source of pride but to also absorb attacks from rival schools.

Years after I graduated, I coached volleyball for Poky in the 90’s. It was easy to lead cheers of “Go Indians!” and view ourselves as warriors, but when I coached for Century in the early 2000’s, the language that came to mind in team huddles gave me great pause. Levying a war, albeit an athletic one, against “the Indians” didn’t sit well with me. 

We cannot simultaneously assert that the Indian mascot is an honor that represents Native Americans and their culture but say it’s not the culture or Native People presented to be a target for rival schools. We tease, poke fun and mock rival mascots. An individual Native person may tell me that they grasp the intended honor over resulting ridicule, but I am not comfortable treating an Indian mascot the way I would treat others mascots.

Our intended means of honor is not that anymore. The mascot is racist, offensive and harmful. So in the decision tree, we are left with, “do we care?”

Perhaps it’s my own discomfort that’s helped me to hear Native voices in recent years, or perhaps it’s the realization that this former “Loud Proud Poky Pep Band Member” needed to be quiet and humble to truly listen. It’s not Poky’s mascot that will continue to honor our Native American friends and neighbors, but rather it’s listening to them. If we aren’t listening, then one must question if honor is really our intent.

Poky High halftime show, 1989