Mitchell Quoted in Morning Sentinel Article on Skowhegan Mascot
John Bear Mitchell, Wabanaki Center Outreach and Student Development Coordinator at the University of Maine and University of Maine System Native American Waiver Coordinator, was quoted in a Morning Sentinel article about Penobscot organizers who want Skowhegan schools to stop using the Indian image as a sports mascot. Representatives of the state’s Wabanaki — the four tribes that make up Maine’s Indian population — said they want a planning session with school officials before they agree to a larger community discussion, according to the article. The officials said resistance to the change from the Skowhegan community comes from a misunderstanding of what the image means to the tribes. Mitchell, who has helped set a structure and rules for such a meeting, said “using Native Americans along with the associated images as mascots, logos and nicknames does the opposite of honor.”