Week of December 5th-9th, 2016
New this week: GMRSD Educational Forum - Historical Perspective
Welcome Yule 2016
It's time again for the weekly news from MCTV! We'd like to start off by reminding you of this week's warmth-giving local events. This Friday, December 9th is It's a Wonderful Night in Turners Falls. From kids crafts, Santa's arrival and a family fun dance, to a 21+ tasting, a Montague Reporter Fundraiser and music at Brown Cow Burger Bar, the 3-9PM festivities include events for all ages. Finally, the Welcome Yule Midwinter Celebration will be December 9th, 10th & 11th at the Shea Theater (buy tickets at the door, or in advance at brownpapertickets.com).
Last week the Gill-Montague Regional School Committee hosted its first inquiry event to gain more insight on the question of keeping or changing the Turners Falls High School team logo, currently the "Indians". This event featured a historical presentation by Professor Peter Thomas, who is a retired history professor at University of Vermont, as well as an area resident who has contributed to the Battlefield project. A video of the event is now available on our website, and will show on our TV channel on Thursday, December 8th, at 7 PM.
Watching this video is a valuable opportunity to better understand the historical context of the Turners Falls massacre, looking at the different worlds of the European colonists and the Native American tribes in New England during the 1600s, King Philip's War, and the massacre at Turner's Falls. The question posited by the November 30th event was "Does an understanding of King Philip's War shed light on the community's discussions of keeping or discarding the Indian logo?"
The School Committee had a chance to ask questions at the end. Much of the inquiry addressed the claim by many supporters of keeping the logo/mascot/team name that it is meant to honor Native Americans. Questions were brought up about the relevance of the logo (a "Plains Indian") to the town's history, about the historical concept of the "noble savage" and racist conceptualizations of Native American people existing primarily as mythical/historical figures, and about the historical context in which many teams across the United States and the eastern U.S. in particular adopted "Indians" as a name/logo/mascot in the early 1900s. Questions were also asked about the town's track record for honoring Native Americans through gestures such as honoring sacred sites.
The School board will continue to their inquiry and host more forums in order to understand opposing opinions on the subject. They plan to make a decision by the spring.
Something going on you think others would like to see? Get in touch to learn how easy it is to use a camera and capture the moment. (413) 863-9200, infomontaguetv@