WEST NEWBURY, MASS. (WHDH) - The Pentucket School Committee voted unanimously Tuesday night to retire the Sachem mascot saying it perpetuated “harmful Native American stereotypes.”
The decision came after a presentation held over the summer where leaders of the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People spoke about the history of Native Americans indigenous to the area and the realities of the impact of the Sachem mascot on the community, according to a joint release issued by School Committee Chairwoman Dena Trotta and Superintendent Bartholomew.
During the July meeting, it was made clear to the district leadership that the Native Americans indigenous to the area did not use the term Sachem. Tribes in Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts did have Sachems, however, who were the speakers for the tribe or the head of a family.
“A lot of thought and consideration went into this decision, and ultimately the School Committee has decided this is the right path for our district to take,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “When the mascot first was selected it was done so out of respect for what they believed a ‘Sachem’ represented. We know today that there are myriad reasons why it is not appropriate to have a ‘Sachem’ mascot, and this is an opportunity for Pentucket to start a new chapter.”
The sports teams will be referred to as Pentucket until the School Committee can meet to discuss the next steps.
The uniforms however will remain the same until they are due to be replaced.
The high school gym floor which bears the name “Sachems,” will be replaced when the new Pentucket Regional Middle High School building is opened, likely in 2022.
The mascot was first adopted by the district in 1958.
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