Indian Symbol Dispute Resurfaces at Dartmouth

Banners displayed at recent Dartmouth football games have become the local point for campus controversy over the schools' former symbol, the Indian.

After Native American groups on campus attacked the symbol as offensive and racist daring the mid-1970's the administration renounced its use. Consequently, any display of the Indian symbol became a "violation of the principle of community," according to Kevin Rosen, President of the Dartmouth Student Assembly.

A few weeks ago, at the Cornell Dartmouth game, a group of freshmen unfurled a banner showing an Indian head painted in four colors.

Timber wolf

And at last week's game against Brown, a banner showing a timberwolf-one of the symbols that has been suggested as a replacement for the current Big Green--was ripped to pieces by freshmen after being displayed during the traditional freshman march onto the field at halftime.

But the Indian symbol has never completely disappeared. In the past few years it has seen a resurgence, which some students link to the growth in influence of the Dartmouth Review. The three-year-old conservative student paper considers the reinstitution of the Indian symbol a bulwark of its editorial policy.

President David I McLaughlin released a letter after the Cornell game stating that the incident betrayed an "insensitivity to segments of the community." He realfirmed the 1972 trustees" decision that "use of the [Indian] symbol [is] inconsistent with present institutional and academic objectives."

The Indian banner display at the Cornell game came after about 1000 freshmen had marched onto the field at halftime, spelled out their class year, and ran into the Dartmouth stands While unfurling the 25 foot banner the freshmen began to sing the Indian cheer," wa hoo-wa," which is also considered offensive.

The degree of upperclass involvement in the incident has also been a major issue According to Dartmouth Review Executive Editor Peter Arnold, the administration had assured that each succeeding freshman class would be less dedicated to the Indian symbol after the ban.

Dean of the College Edward Shanahan said to The Dartmouth the student newspaper, he had "heard that upperclassmen planned the event and planned to pin it on the 87's by displaying the banner in what is historically a freshman event.

The Dartmouth also reported that a number of students and faculty members said they had seen upperclassmen wearing 87 shirts who helped carry the banner.

According to The Dartmouth Dean of Freshman Margaret Bonz said "freshman in volvement was minimal I would wonder about their ability to construct something like that after only being here for six weeks."

Shaun Gurl, Executive Editor of The Dartmouth said that a Review editor had sent a letter to his paper stating that she had been involved in making the banner but not displaying it.

The 15-foot banner showing a timeberwolf was made by juniors, according to Gurl and was unfurled just before the freshmen marched onto the field at halftime during the Brown game. The freshmen grabbed the banner and tore it as they passed it among them selves.

In a poll taken two years ago the timberwolf symbol was the second choice among a list of alternatives to the Big Green, which replaced the Indian Gur! said that a majority of students has simply scratched out the choices and written Indian on the ballot.

No Big Green

Rosen said that student were dissatisfied with the Big Green because it was too abstract. "The force of tradition is a big part of our problem be said adding. We have a lot of school spirit and the students want a distinct rallying point.

But Allen Waxman, Chairman of the Undergraduate Affairs Committee which his now trying to resolve the symbol problem said it really doesn't matter what Joe Dartmouth thinks--the Indian symbolisn't coming back it's now a matter of mobilizing support behind another symbol.