Spiritual leader felt 'Warrior' title was an honor

RE: Letter from Anson Black Calf, Village News, 10/4/07:

I agree with you completely about the absolute ignorance most people today have about the origins of the settling of this great country. Most believe it was a virtual wasteland crying out for some intelligent life to discover it and civilize the handful of savages and bring progress and development, making use of all of the wasted natural resources and minerals being ignored by the heathen living primitively on this literal gold mine of land.

The massacre of millions of Natives by disease, starvation, relocation, reservation, and mutilation to accommodate all of the new immigrants has been relegated to a few paragraphs in history books, usually under “Indian uprising,” or “the Indian Wars.” Yet among Native people, the stories are endless. Each survivor today has tales of destruction so painful most don’t talk about it anymore. Nobody wants to really know what happened, and are quite satisfied with blissful ignorance.

But, as you said, it is unlikely God will pour out His blessings on a country that refuses to acknowledge its sins, and in fact will probably do the exact opposite. Unfortunately, the truth has been so hidden for so long most don’t believe there is a problem, but refusing to believe the truth does not make it go away.

That being said, a little current, local history is in order. Henry Rodriguez, a now deceased spiritual leader of The La Jolla Tribe, once was a student in Fallbrook, many decades ago. He requested the “Warrior” name for the sports teams, and felt it an honor to use that name. Local tribal leaders have expressed complete acceptance and, in fact, support Fallbrook, its sports, education, and other endeavors.

Not all sports mascots or names borrowed from our Native history are negative stereotypes, and not everyone has to be offended by everything. To educate people about our sad past, so it can come to light, we can’t get caught up in irrelevant, unimportant skirmishes of the present. Pick your battles well.

Bob Hayward

Native American Church

Pala-La Jolla