The Native American Heritage Fund has made it their mission to promote positive relationships between Michigan’s public and private K-12 schools, colleges, universities, local governments and the state’s 12 federally recognized Native American tribes.
This year, 10 Michigan schools, districts and colleges across the state received more than $480,000 in funds from NAHF to rebrand racially insensitive mascots and improve school curriculum.
They’ve awarded nearly 60 entities since 2018.
“One of the top priorities of the NAHF was to address 15 offensive (high school) mascots in the state,” said Tribal Council Chairwoman Dorie Rios.
The Michigan Board of Education adopted a resolution in 2003 that supports the elimination of Native American descriptors and mascots by all Michigan schools.
The resolution states in part “that their use has a detrimental effect on the educational achievement of American Indian students.”
Rios said many of the offensive mascots were adopted by people who believed they were paying homage to Native Americans.
“How do pay homage if you don’t have that conversation or that relationship with that indigenous community?” Rios said.
In 2013, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, asking it to “issue an order prohibiting the continued use Native American mascots, names, nicknames, slogans, chants and/or imagery.”
In the seven years NAHF has been operating and awarding grants, the organization has been successful in helping rebrand many of the mascots.
“We are proud to say a lot of these initiative came from the student body,” Rios said.
The grants also aid in improving organization’s education curriculum, she said.
NAHF distributed about $484,000 to 10 organizations this year.
The list is as follows:
- Albion College — $35,000 to create a culturally appropriate exhibit and site co-management plan at the Whitehouse Nature Center.
- Camden Frontier School — $105,061.20 to rebrand the current mascot from the “R-word” and to rebrand signage, floors, athletic facilities and apparel with the new “RedHawks” mascot imagery.
- East Jordan Public Schools — $12,570 to implement the Nbwaachiwedaa miinwaa Kinomaagedaa: Let’s Visit and Learn Program. This grant is in addition to the NAHF grant that East Jordan Public Schools received in 2021, as NAHF continues to work with and support schools as they make ongoing changes.
- Gladstone Area Schools — $18,575.05 to maintain and protect Native American statues that have been in their park since 1988 and to implement educational and community engagement initiatives.
- Grand Ledge Public Schools – $3,200 to create a culturally appropriate Anishinaabe history lesson for third graders.
- Grand Valley State University — $63,467.20 to support Native and Indigenous students at GVSU and to expand awareness of Anishinaabe culture across the campus.
- Okemos Public Schools — $8,000 to develop inquiry-based Michigan history lessons for all third-graders in the district, with a focus on the Anishinaabe people and their impact on the Okemos community. This grant is in addition to the NAHF grant received in 2021.
- Plymouth-Canton Community Schools — $145,894.40 to replace the “Chiefs” mascot at Canton High School with the new “Cobras” mascot.
- Port Huron Area School District — $86,052.24 to replace the mascot at Michigamme and Roosevelt Elementary Schools and High School. This grant is in addition to the NAHF grant received in 2023, as NAHF continues to work with and support schools as they make ongoing changes.
- Suttons Bay Public Schools — $6,600 to further develop cultural curriculum, which is in addition to the NAHF grant received in 2020 and 2018.
“Ultimately our goal is to take this nationwide,” Rios said. “There is a desire for other tribes to join in.”
The application process opens in June and can be found at www.nahfund.com.