“Indian”, at its root, is based on a misconception. In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean and thought he had stumbled across India when in fact he had landed in the Caribbean, slaughtered thousands , left chaos in his wake, and went on to serve as a “heroic” symbol for European exploration and the discovery of a “New World” … which had already been “discovered” and occupied by millions of people before him but who apparently just don’t count. Early European explorers and settlers thought that these non-European people needed to be given a name. Their own names were apparently no good: that would involve talking to them, acknowledging them, and attempting to pronounce non-European words! It really was just easier for explorers and settlers to refer to and think of them as a homogenized group: they are essentially the same people. Over time, “the Indian” grew in the imaginations of Europeans and European settlers into a very specific being – who wore a feathered headdress, smoked “peace pipes” but was a fierce and savage warrior. “The Indian” probably rode horses, screeching and whooping, and only spoke broken English if he spoke at all. The word “Indian” is inextricably tied to these stereotypes in the minds of many people even today. Simply because a word was heard all of the time doesn’t mean it isn’t disrespectful. Words are loaded with meaning and implications, and even the idea of having an overarching term that purports to refer to indigenous peoples of the Americas as a whole is incredibly problematic. This word that is used to describe a entire culture and civilization is simply outdated and racist.  The Clarksville Montgomery County School System needs to change this mascot immediately and apologize to the public for having this mascot displayed and used as the face for Montgomery Central