Recently, the RHAM Board of Education voted to
accept a raptor as the new mascot for its community, replacing the longtime
“Sachem” mascot, which was deemed politically incorrect.
Question is: is this the right direction for
RHAM? A raptor as a mascot is rather
unusual. As you can see from the
picture, an eagle is also presented in the original artwork. Apparently, the RHAM Board of Education is
leaving open the question of whether the school will accept an eagle or raptor
as the main mascot, though the name “Raptor” looks to stay. In my honest opinion, an eagle has a much better connotation ("lordly, impressive, sharp-eyed) than a raptor does, the name which means "seize by force."
An eagle makes sense. Perched up on the side of route 66 is the
famous eagle rock, which is a symbol of our town ever since the rock was
painted in 1989 (you can read the story here: http://thehebronharvester.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-legend-of-eagle-rock.html). There is some history to
this mascot, though the idea is very cliche, as several other towns use the
eagle as their mascot. I can see why it wouldn't be a mascot, simply on the basis that it's been overused.
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| Do we really want to be remembered as "raptors"? |
But a raptor?
What significance would a dinosaur hold for RHAM? Don’t get me wrong. It’s creative and the logo is phenomenal, but
historically, it doesn’t resonate. How
will the school look to embed this mascot into its culture? It’s hard to imagine this. When you think of the RHAM community,
hundreds of animals and symbols come to mind, but it’s hard to imagine a
raptor, an extinct creature, as one of them.
While some may call the Sachem politically
incorrect, it held history in our town and our state. If everyone really wants to know the history,
the Native Sachems ceded the town of Hebron on friendly terms to settlers. There was no war, at least in Hebron. The Sachem wasn't a derogatory symbol from its beginning, it was a symbol of honor in the town and a sense of royalty from Hebron's heritage (history of the Sachems can be read here: http://thehebronharvester.blogspot.com/2020/03/rham-sachems-no-more.html).
And there’s no denying Native American
culture in Connecticut’s past. The name
Connecticut itself is an adapted Mohegan-Pequot name meaning “long river.” Several roads in our town connect to the
Sachem heritage (one being Attawanhood Trail).
Shall we rename these names as well to remain politically correct? I'm not saying yes or no, I'm simply just saying look at the context and history of the use of Sachem.
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| Known Native American tribes within Connecticut's history |
Not to mention, the Sachem was a long-lived mascot that many do not want to give up. Several have alluded to this on social media. Connecticut itself is embedded with Native American culture, so it’s hard to just dismiss our past. I understand a need to change the mascot for those who personally oppose the Sachem, but why not choose something more relevant to the community’s culture and history? Why not choose a mascot that students can take pride in and look up to, almost as some kind of royalty? A raptor is far off from this image. A raptor symbolizes fierceness and violence, which is far less welcoming than one of royalty or bravery. Do we really want our students representing these traits that a velociraptor would represent?
A raptor as a mascot (while very
cool), does not do justice to represent our town’s community and heritage. While the Sachem may be considered
“politically incorrect,” it did have a sense of royalty, with Sachem being a
Native American “chief.” A raptor does
not portray a royal image, nor does it represent our community’s culture and
history, or sets apart the community.
People are not going to remember RHAM because of the raptors.
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| A RHAM hat with the old "Sachems" name |
But as it is, what’s done has been done. The only thing we can do is move forward and see the result of how this unfolds and where it takes our community. I know one thing for sure, I find it pretty awkward for being remembered as a “raptor.”
If you have any opinions or concerns about the RHAM "Raptors" please feel free to post below and discuss. Remember that RHAM is now headed into a new era as the "Raptors."
