Seven Grandfather teachings help staff and students honor the Chieftain

7 Grandfathers

Slated for publication in the 2024 Warrior yearbook

The controversy surrounding the Chieftain as Utica’s mascot has been around for years with little to no comment on it from the school and district. This year, though, Principal Tim Youngblood has taken a stand not against the Chieftain as a mascot, but for the education of staff and students on the Native American culture behind it.

Through the introduction of the Seven Grandfather Teachings, a Native American moral belief system, Youngblood has begun to remove offensive elements from the Chieftain.

“This has been a long process,” Youngblood said. “When I first arrived here there were some questions about the Chieftain and whether it was appropriate or not.

“I talked to a tribal leader named Al Pedwaydon and this is where the 7 Grandfathers came from,” Youngblood said.

Pedwaydon was the former tribal chairman for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa.

“The Seven Grandfather Teachings are a combination of moral teachings and guides,” Pedwaydon said, “to becoming an upstanding citizen of your community and country.”

The Seven Grandfather Teachings include wisdom, love, respect, bravery, honesty, humility, and truth. Each teaching also comes with an animal counterpart.

The Beaver represents wisdom, the Eagle represents love, the Buffalo represents respect, the Bear represents bravery, the Raven represents Honesty, the Wolf represents humility, and the Turtle represents truth.

“For example, the Eagle is recognized as a great hunter. It has one mate for life, and he delivers prayers to the creator high beyond the clouds.,” Pedwaydon said. “His feathers are adorned and highly respected by all Native Americans. And only Native Americans are allowed to legally possess eagle feathers or any part of their remains.”

Pedwaydon urged for the Seven Grandfather Teachings rather than the removal of the Chieftain as Utica’s mascot.

“Using Native American leadership as a mascot is dignified and acceptable,” Pedwaydon said. “The Chieftain as a mascot is respectful.”

Like Pedwaydon, Native American sophomore Taven Codere would rather Utica keep the mascot.

“Honestly, I don’t care about Utica having the Chieftain as our mascot,” Codere said. “I don’t want us to separate from it. I think it’s nice that they’re incorporating the Seven Grandfather teachings instead.”

Over the years, many different arguments have been made for both keeping and changing the mascot. While there are varying viewpoints, Pedwaydon walks the line.

“There are hardliners on both sides of these questions. Respect is a two-way street, both sides should weigh the pros and cons of their assertions, all while doing research to gain knowledge,” Pedwaydon said. “I myself am a moderate that accepts that a respectful way of choosing any part of Native American culture to be a mascot is acceptable as long disrespect or mockery is combated if it appears.”

Even before the big shift, Utica has done its best to avoid words and actions found to be offensive.

“If you’re using the tomahawk chop or running around in headdresses it is not respectful,” Youngblood said. “The student section used to be called ‘The Reservation’ and those were like concentration camps for the Native Americans. We are moving away to the block U more than anything.”

Not all mascots are a symbol of power like the Chieftain though.

“I vehemently opposed the Cleveland Indian caricature and the Washington Redskins. Redskin is like the “N” word to Native Americans,” Pedwaydon said. “The word Redskin was used to describe, by the European invading parties, bodies of bloodied Native Americans at the hands of a non-native enemy.”

The goal is not to erase the Chieftain from Utica, but rather to revere where it came from.

“We want to pay respect and honor their history,” Youngblood said. “[Pedwaydon] asked that we educate our community and staff on the Seven Grandfathers. If we can live by these principles and embed those into our school, that shows Native Americans that we are trying to educate our community and pay respects to their culture.”

Since the teachings were first introduced, Youngblood has dedicated different hallways of the school to different teachings, hung posters in classrooms, and even spent a professional development day having --- come in to educate and brainstorm with staff.

“I think this is a good initiative because it is a way to celebrate the heritage of the Chieftain, as well as Native American culture,” teacher Aaron Davis said. “I think it would be a great opportunity if we can implement the Seven Grandfathers’ themes and beliefs into our school. They are good character traits, and I like the idea of where we are going. We are just in the beginning stages trying to figure it out, but I see many possibilities for us to implement these teachings into our school.”

Moving forward, the Utica community hopes to work together to ensure that the Chieftain remains respected and honored.

“History, culture, and respect should be at the forefront when choosing Native Americans or their culture as a mascot,” Pedwaydon said. “Anytime you have information from a separate culture that emphasizes teachings to young people that strives to encourage them to be the best they can be is always a positive.”

Because our theme this year evolved from the 7 Grandfather teachings, I knew we had to have a story about it and I knew I wanted to be the one to write it. Because it's such a controversial topic that deserves the utmost respect, I wanted to make sure nothing went wrong with it. I used this as a chance to spotlight Indigenous voices, like Tribal Leader Al Pedwaydon and an Indigenous student sophomore Taven Codere, a historically underrepresented group. Read a more in-depth reflection below

Reflection

Extended Reflection

Writing this story, I knew it would be important. The Chieftain is something that has been debated in our community for years, but went seemingly unaddressed by the district and school until new Principal Tim Youngblood joined the staff last year. He was the first person I ever heard address the controversy, and I knew I wanted to write about it. There aren't many crazy controversies or stories at Utica (thankfully), so I knew this was my chance to write about something big in the community and inform people.

A lot went into writing this story. I swear I read every sentence at least 5 times to make sure it was perfect. When writing about a controversial topic, it's extra crucial to remain unbiased and respectful. This story was methodically laid out and planned to provide a platform to inform students, and anyone else who read the book, of the steps being taken to ensure the respect of a culture that has been mistreated for so long. Even the pull quote was more thought out than some may see. Throughout the whole story, I tried to mostly quote Pedwaydon and Codere because, while Youngblood's thoughts are important, Native Americans have a history of being silenced. I wanted this story to be educational and empowering.

I had emailed Principal Youngblood to ask if he had consulted any Native American students. Though he had not, he was very cooperative to give me the names of the only 2 that were marked in our system, even going so far as to check with those students to make sure they were okay with being interviewed on the topic, which only 1 was.

It was never supposed to be this long, but as I started writing, I just couldn't stop. Everything said was a good point and something student should know. I hope the length makes it stand out, and encourages students to read and find out more about the 7 Grandfather teachings, Indigenous culture, and Indigenous perspectives.