This article was previously published on EloraFergusToday.
EloraFergusToday received the following letter to the editor from Jim Clark regarding the Elora Mohawks lacrosse team.
Everyone is entitled to voice their opinion. That is what has compelled me to write this letter in response to the one submitted by Sean Hunter and included in the August 1, 2024 edition of EloraFergusToday.
I don’t consider any aspect of the Elora Mohawks logo to be derogatory, defamatory, offensive or denigrating, unlike the depiction of the character Chief Wahoo used by the former Cleveland Indians of MLB.
Why should the logo not be used by a lacrosse team in honour of the race that invented the game?
If anything, the organization may elect to modify the logo by doing as Mr. Hunter suggested; making it more representative of the Mohawk tribe. However, in my opinion, the generic nature of the logo represents the fact that the game was played by many of the Indigenous nations. In my opinion, the logo is a fitting tribute to former Indigenous Chiefs.
The attempts of many to cleanse society of anything that someone/anyone MAY find offensive has gone too far and is offensive to me. It is portrayed precisely in George Orwell’s novel 1984.
Too many organizations and institutions fall victim to this type of erasure, trying to think about who may be offended rather than actually asking those who actually are or would be affected. I can’t tell from Mr. Hunter’s name if he is of Indigenous descent.
I hope that the council’s committee will interview primarily individuals of Indigenous descent to determine the fate of the logo and whether or not to re-install the team’s banners in the community centre rather than individuals with the intent of erasing every aspect of society for fear that something MAY offend someone.
Jim Clark
Fergus
