In 2023, the great royal blue state of New York ordered all schools with Native American-named teams to rebrand. The Massapequa Chiefs refused, and now President Donald Trump has gotten involved to try and simmer down the white shame in the Empire State.
There is nothing the progressive left likes more than to claim moral superiority and try to guilt middle-aged, white, and liberal ideologists into standing up for the oppressed. This is especially true when the so-called "oppressed" is not registering complaints fast and furious enough for the elected congressional people to get airtime. In New York's heavy-handed case, no Massapequa tribal members found the mascot name offensive.
Victimhood is a key tenet for these opportunistic candidates to utilize in pandering to the minority crowds. Americans have watched for years the embracing of an iconic figure – whether criminal or saint – creating mantras, slogans, and foundations to air grievances. It's a racket.
Trump Loves a Good Skirmish
Not all Natives agree that the use of tribal images and gestures is a bad thing. The University of Utah Utes and Florida State University Seminoles have agreements with local tribes to use Native names and imagery. The Seneca Nation in New York's Salamanca School District refused to comply and kept their mascot name, "Warriors.”
Many tribal leaders are supporting the iconic messaging behind the Native brand and speaking out about the controversy in the tiny Long Island enclave. Frank Black Cloud, a member of the Spirit Lake Nation in North Dakota, scoffed at rebranding Massapequa Chiefs, saying that it would be a "terrible thing to do."
"Historically, we are Chiefs, we are Warriors," said Black Cloud. "All of these names, images, they are something we all uphold and we're proud of."
"Massapequa's history speaks for itself. The history cannot and should not be erased," Albanese-Christopher, of Cherokee descent and a local high school graduate, told The Post. "Everyone is way too soft in this world. Instead of trying to abolish history, they should worry more about what's being taught in the district."
And who can't resist a good battle? Yes, that would be Donald Trump. When the town reached out for a warrior, Trump was all in. On Truth Social, he posted: "I agree with the people in Massapequa, Long Island, who are fighting furiously to keep the Massapequa Chiefs logo on their Teams and School," vowing to sic Secretary of Education Linda McMahon "to fight" for the town.
The left tries to tell us how we should feel," Black Cloud said. "They don't want to listen to us on the reasons why these names and images should be kept sacred. They want us to just disappear, fade off into the sunset," he added.
David Finkenbinder, a Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and NAGA member in Coxsackie, New York, said he was devastated when his high school removed "Indians" from its identity and wants Long Island to make a smarter choice. "It's frustrating," he said. "Not once was I ever offended or ridiculed or made fun of because of my Native heritage. There's a lot of Native history here in New York," Finkenbinder continued. "But this takes the interest away from students to learn why their towns and teams are named this way."
A Higher Plain or Convenient Propaganda?
With cult-like precision soundbites and immediate propaganda parades, the Democratic Party honed theatrics as an invaluable part of attaining and keeping power. Americans recall the women wearing red cloaks haunting the Supreme Court nomination hearings halls dressed as Hand Maid's Tale extras. Or when then-Speaker Pelosi and congressional entourage wearing African tribal scarves dropped to one knee (with perfect precision) for the Black Lives Matter movement.
How convenient that after the loss of minority demographics in the election of 2024, the progressive wing of the Democratic Party has found an Indian to use as its newest Tomahawk. But they might be barking up the wrong. Natives consider themselves warriors and not victims. And just because they are a useful political tool doesn't mean they'll buy that bridge in Manhattan. After all, in the left's causes du jour, Native Americans are way in the back of the line.
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