Menominee Chair Dings Mascot Law In State Of The Tribes Address

In the annual State of the Tribes address to the Wisconsin Legislature, the chair of the Menominee tribe told lawmakers that the new school mascot law they passed would have a damaging effect on Native American children.

Menominee Chairwoman Laurie Boivin’s State of the Tribes speech mostly struck conciliatory chords with lawmakers, but she was sharply critical of the Legislature’s treatment of the Native American mascot issue: “Our children should not be subjected to inaccurate representations of their cultural identity.”

The bill Republican lawmakers passed and Gov. Scott Walker signed late last year repealed a law passed by Democrats when they ran state government. The law makes it harder to repeal a school’s Native American mascot, forcing someone to first file petitions of support from an equivalent of ten percent of the school’s student body.

Boivin questioned the logic of the plan. “In a court of law,” she said, “victims of discrimination are not required to circulate a petition to garner support to prove the action occurred. Why is it that our children are not afforded the same consideration?”

Boivin largely steered clear of other contentious issues, never once directly mentioning the proposed iron mine being fought by the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in northern Wisconsin. Notably, she also never directly mentioned her tribe’s bid to get approval for a Kenosha casino, a divisive issue for some of the tribes.