NATIVE AMERICANS
& DUNG BEETLES

REFUSING TO RECOGNIZE THE EAGLE FEATHER AS A RELIGIOUS SYMBOL
A SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT EQUATES NATIVE AMERICANS WITH INSECTS

Another Kansas school superintendent slanders Native American national origin and religious symbols.
Matthew Richter of The Seven Creeds Society, KANAE member writes to the Little River "Redskins"

Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Letter to the Board of Education Unified School District 444, Little River

INTRODUCTION
DECEMBER 14, 1998, Little River Superintendent Milton Dougherty after refusing to meet with representatives of the Kansas Association for Native American Education KANAE compared Native Americans as mascots to dung beetles. Having no reluctance what so ever in placing the national origin, race and religious symbols of Native Americans who died to give Little River Kansas its place in history Mr. Dougherty took one more opportunity to reveal why "redskin" is used in his public school to teach people to hatefully slander Native Americans.

If you have taken a look at the Little River "redskins" web site http://homepage.netspaceonline.com/~lrjshs/ you will see the grotesque baby sized warrior and the flaming "SKINS" logo(pictured below). (Editors note: As of Martin Luther King's birthday 1999, and following the publication of this article, the flaming logo and tomahawk wielding baby warrior have been removed without explanation from school officials) If you are Native American who knows your history, you will remember the massacres of thousands, the lynchings and the burnings which drove your surviving ancestors into the stock pens called reservations. You will remember the flames burning your ancestors just because they were "redskins" and you will not like the image of these "entertainment" flames dancing on the Little River Unified School District website with the letters "SKINS".

"It was a fearful sight to see them thus frying in the fire and the streams of blood quenching the same, and horrible was the stink and scent thereof; but the victory seemed a sweet sacrifice, and they gave the praise thereof to God"
-Gov. William Bradford, Plymouth Colony

 

 

The Little River High School web site leaves a sickening feeling. It is flanked by "baby warriors" a deep and profound insult to every veteran of the United States who fought for the dignity and freedom Americans enjoy today.

 

 

A motor visit to the Little River High School will take you past one of two very large bill boards on Federal Primary Highway US 56 which declare "THIS IS REDSKIN COUNTRY". The town of Little River, which lies on the Little Arkansas River no longer has any Cheyenne living in the area because the treaty of the Little Arkansas and the ethnic purge of this Nation was consummated in 1864 with the Massacre at Sand Creek. But the image of the Cheyenne honored man wearing the headrests of the religious symbol of the eagle feather is mounted trophy style on the highway sign greeting passerby with it macabre lesson, "THIS IS REDSKIN COUNTRY"

Were this Nuremberg Germany home of the ovens which burned Jewish bodies by the thousands instead of Little River host to the treaty of the Little Arkansas and the ethnic purge of the Cheyenne, the sign would read 'THIS IS HYMIE COUNTRY"

 

LETTER TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, LITTLE RIVER USD 444

FROM: Matthew Richter

Clerk, Board of Education, USD 444
455 West Prairie Ave.
Little River, KS 67457

Clerk of the Board of Education USD 444: (Please forward to Board of Education)

I telephoned the district office, Monday, the 14th of December to arrange a meeting with your superintendent and members of the Board of Education to discuss USD 444 policy on religious symbols. I was following up on a previous phone call to Mr. Dougherty last Spring in which I brought some inequities in the administration of the policy to the attention of Mr. Dougherty. He has neglected to correct them. I do not believe that the Board is aware of the problems that are caused by violating this policy. However, Mr. Dougherty related that spending any time on the discussion of respecting Native American national origins and religious symbols in district 444 was beneath his consideration. He refused to arrange a meeting.

Mr. Dougherty informed me that Christians do not recognize any other religious symbols and that he is a Christian. I am asking the Board to respond at this time: Do you agree that this is the way to run a school district, or do you believe that Native American people, their national origins and their religious are due equal respect and equal treatment to any other?

I pointed out to Mr. Dougherty as I did last year when we discussed this topic on the phone, that Native Americans worship with the eagle feather, it is a religious symbol and it is important to meet with me and representatives of our group to understand there are abuses of this symbol causing problems because of this, that affect everyone. The primary problem is the historically established hateful attitude shown by Mr. Dougherty that Native Americans are redskins without religion.

Mr. Dougherty began slandering my ancestors, equating them with dung beetles. All I asked for was to make a presentation to you and your school district concerning the name redskin, something he refused and then started comparing my family to dung beetles. Perhaps to a man who has a cow pie for a brain, a dung beetle is a thing to be respected but I do not, in any way, find it complimentary or appropriate to equate my heritage in any manner what so ever with an insect that rolls dung.

My People are not in any class, manner or conception whatsoever on a level of comparison with dung beetles. My family has been called redskins and equated as non humans for 5 centuries, it is not and never has been acceptable. This characterization of my national origin as non human on a level with beasts and insects has been done to dehumanize and destroy us, our culture and our religions. Coming from a man who refused to discuss his abuses of the eagle feather, this is a vile and purposefully slanderous characterization.

I request from the School Board at this time to meet with you face to face to discuss the problems that exist and the complications that are increasing because of the lack of respect by the superintendent. The name redskin was invented by European Americans to categorize the Native American as an animal and a non human.

Mr. Dougherty is still using the historically proven identity of Native Americans as "redskins" which is that of a non human:

(The redskin Indians are) "wild beasts, and unreasonable creatures, or ...brutish savages, which by reason of their godles ignorance, and blasphemous Idolatrie, are worse than those beasts which are of most wilde and savage nature...(they are) incredibly rude, they worship the divell, offer their young children in sacrifice unto him, wander up and downe like beasts, and in manners and conditions, differ very little from beasts." - English colonist, Robert Gray reports the popular feelings regarding his neighbors, the Virginia Indians (Gray), (Stannard, David, American Holocaust, p. 227)

Mr. Dougherty's behavior deeply upsets me and indicates there is a genuine lack of respect in the administrative office for the Native American people, their history, culture and religious symbols. It is my belief that the school board does not desire this slanderous incident to set the tone of future contact with me, my family or any other Native Americans.

That he should refuse to meet with me and seeks to avoid public discussions with me, my family and my kinsmen is no surprise since he views us as "redskins". A "redskisn" is historically defined as a non human insect or beast who is a nuisance and should be exterminated:

"... every redskin must be killed from off the face of the plains before we can be free from their molestations. They are of no earthly good and the sooner they are swept from the land the better for civilization ...I do not think they can be turned and made good law abiding citizens any more than coyotes can be used for shepherd dogs." -1866,

I look forward to meeting with you on this subject. It is my hope that we can engage in constructive dialogue on these subjects because Mr. Dougherty's behavior and his refusal to correct the obvious malfeasance in violating school policy on permanent use of religious symbols and his slanderous remarks show an incongruence with the goals of the school district and the constitutional right to pass freely in public places without slander, libel, molestation, and denigration of one's religion, race or national origin.

You will find a copy of this letter posted on the world wide web at http://www.iwchildren.org/littleriver.htm

Sincerely, Matthew Richter

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copyright Matthew Richter, Clem Iron Wing, 1998