{"id":547,"date":"2017-05-31T10:42:52","date_gmt":"2017-05-31T14:42:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/memory\/?p=547"},"modified":"2017-09-19T16:07:08","modified_gmt":"2017-09-19T20:07:08","slug":"this-week-in-the-archives-whats-in-a-mascot-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/memory\/2017\/05\/31\/this-week-in-the-archives-whats-in-a-mascot-name\/","title":{"rendered":"This Week in the Archives: What’s in a Mascot Name?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Cassidy Lowther<\/strong><\/p>\n

On November 28, 1934, The Collegian<\/em> released an article entitled, \u201cFrosh to Hold Indian Trial at Cheer Rally.<\/a><\/strong>\u201d The article discusses the rally presented at the car loop above the stadium in celebration of the rivalry between the University of Richmond and the College of William and Mary. Some of the plans for this Thanksgiving Day gridiron classic included widely-known speakers who were\u00a0expected to delve into football history and spur Richmond toward a victory. Most notably, however, the article details an “important feature of the program” — the mock trial of the Indian chieftain, “Legrandesadebryantspackbridgers.” If found guilty by vote of the jury, the accused would\u00a0be hanged, and then hoisted above the huge bonfire structure.<\/p>\n

Tracing its\u00a0origins back to 1896, the William and Mary football team was first nicknamed \u201cThe Orange and White\u201d after their team colors (WM<\/a><\/strong>). It wasn\u2019t until 20 years later, in 1916, the nickname \u201cIndians\u201d was first referenced in the 1916 edition of the Colonial Echo<\/em>; referring to the basketball team. Between 1916 and the 1930s, the college logo and nickname continued to change and evolve with W&M earning the title of \u201cFighting Virginians\u201d in 1923, changing their colors to green, gold, and silver in 1924, and adopting a 17-foot alligator named \u201cCal\u201d as their mascot in 1927 (WM<\/a><\/strong>). However by the late 1930s, the W&M mascot was yet again changed; taking the place of \u201cCal,\u201d the 17-foot alligator was an Indian pony named WAMPO (WM<\/a><\/strong>). Deriving its name from \u201cWilliam and Mary POny,\u201d WAMPO often carried a rider in full Indian attire (WM<\/a><\/strong>).<\/p>\n

The mock trial of the Indian chieftain originated as a way to rally against William & Mary, rather than against Indian people as a whole; yet, it begs the question: What were the state of relations between Richmond, Virginia and indigenous people at the time? The students of Richmond at the time remained unfazed by such a violent act; this in and of itself, the very action of inaction, speaks to the prevalence of racism. In June 18, 1934, the Indian Reorganization Act, also called the Wheeler-Howard Act, was enacted by the U.S. Congress (Britannica<\/strong><\/a>). \u201cAimed at decreasing federal control of American Indian affairs and increasing Indian self government and responsibility,\u201d the Indian Reorganization Act was a way the United States government attempted to show its gratitude for service to the country in World War I (Britannica<\/a><\/strong>). While this act was\u00a0a step in the right direction, ultimately it was just one small measure towards the ultimate aim of establishing a more equal footing for\u00a0Native Americans. In spite of the fact that Native Americans were granted citizenship in 1924, many states barred Native Americans from the right to vote until 1957 (America’s Library<\/a><\/strong>).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cassidy Lowther<\/strong>\u00a0graduated from the University of Richmond in May 2017, with a\u00a0major\u00a0in Rhetoric & Communication Studies.\u00a0She is originally from Riverside, Connecticut.\u00a0She worked on the Race & Racism at UR Project twice throughout her time at the University — first, in\u00a0Digital Memory & the Archive (Fall 2016), and in an independent study (Spring 2017).\u00a0Her biggest takeaway from working on the project has been the significance of the initiative’s mission in bringing about the untold history of race and racism\u00a0at the University.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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