There is concern in Warroad that the high school’s Warrior name and logo may be removed all-together after a number of bills in the state legislature were introduced with provisions to ban the use of Native American imagery in Minnesota high school logos and nicknames.

At Wednesday morning’s state Senate committee hearing, several Warroad community members were in attendance to advocate for the continued use of the Warrior name and imagery for their athletic teams. Warroad hockey icon Henry Boucha gave testimony and hopes that lawmakers consider the history and importance of American Indian mascots before being passed in legislation, especially in a community like Warroad.

Boucha’s testimony from those in support of the Warrior name and logo included 19 pages of background information on the history of the Warroad Warrior and letters asking that what they say is their heritage be preserved.

Bills introduced say that a school district may seek an exemption by submitting a request in writing to the Tribal Nations Education Committee and the Indian Affairs Council.

By — Lakeland News