To the Editor:
Claire Unis's editorial ("Belief and Hypocrisy," Jan. 16) likened the Shawmut emblem to the previous Dartmouth Athletics symbol. Though this was only a minor point, I feel that this was an incorrect comparison. The circumstances prompting the elimination of the Dartmouth Indian as a mascot were radically different than those surrounding the Shawmut symbol. The use of a Native American as an athletic symbol created an incorrect depiction of Native Americans as savage and brutal warriors.
However, the Shawmut emblem does not create a depiction of Native Americans as a subservient or marginalized group. The use of a neutral depiction of a Native American as the symbol of a major U.S. financial institution would be a step in the right direction. Rather than striking out against all representations of Native Americans in a blind fury, it would be more constructive to pick and choose which ones send a positive message.
I'm not Native American so I may have missed an element of the Shawmut symbol which Native Americans would find offensive. However, I think it would be better to find constructive symbols than to render the Native American presence in this country invisible for fear that somebody might be offended.
