OLYMPIA — On Monday, Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law a bill to prohibit public schools from using Native American names, symbols or images unless local tribes approve.
“This bill will end the disrespectful use of Native American names and imagery in our public schools,” Inslee said when he signed the bill. It was one of 32 laws Washington’s governor made official Monday after state lawmakers wrapped up the 2021 legislative session on Sunday.
Mascots that are determined to be inappropriate will need to be phased out by Dec. 31 and replaced with a new mascot, to be instituted by the end of the 2021-22 school year.
The bill could incite change in Snohomish County. Marysville Pilchuck High School might need to drop its nickname, the Tomahawks, if the Tulalip Tribes deem it an “inappropriate use” of tribal heritage.
House Bill 1356’s purpose is to reclaim cultural items important to Native heritage that have been appropriated as mascots and team names.
The bill’s main sponsor, Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Bow, is the House’s only current Native American lawmaker.
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