First Nations athlete says McGill's Redmen name needs to change

A First Nationsathlete on McGillUniversity'srowing teamiscalling on the university to change theRedmenteam name.

Tomas Jirousek, who has been on the Montreal university's rowing team for three years, is from theKainaiFirst Nation in southern Alberta. Heis organizing an on-campus demonstrationagainst the name later this month.

History of the name

Since the late 1920s, McGill's men's varsity teams have been known as theRedmen.According to professor Fabrice Labeau, interim Student Life and Learning Deputy Provost, thename stems from colours worn by the team.

Indigenous symbols, connotations, and unofficial nicknames were propagated by the media and fans in many circumstances since.

Usageof the name "Indians" to refer to men's teams began as early as 1938, and in the mid-'60s, women's teams began being referred to as the "Squaws" or "Super Squaws." Images of Indigenous people also found their way onto hockey and football jerseys and helmets between 1981 and 1991.

"We recognize and regret any harm that the unfortunate association of athletic team nicknames to Indigenous cultures during this period may have caused to our Indigenous communities," said Labeau.

"In the early 1990s, decisions were made to clearly remove any Indigenous connotations associated with the name, including changing the logos of that era. As the Redmen name itself was deemed not to have originated as a reference to Indigenous cultures, it was decided at that time that it would be retained."

Task force called for name change last year

The university's task force on Indigenous studies and Indigenous education released a report last year in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) calls to action.

The task force issued its own calls to action. Changingthe varsity teams' name was recommended as an "immediate" action that shouldhappen within one to two years of the report.

In response, the university launched a working group on principles of commemoration and renaming with the aim of defining principles to guide the university in its decision-making with respect to any future commemorative or potential renaming initiative.

"Much like many other universities in North America, McGill is critically examining issues linked to naming or renaming of assets, teams or programs," saidLabeau.

"We are very proud of our current and former student athletes and their achievements; but we are also aware, as is any organization, of the fact that some portions of our history may not reflect current values, and of the need to reconcile past and present.

"McGill, as a leading university, wants to take a principled approach in considering these issues."

Jirousek, however, feels the consultation with Indigenous people has been limited thus far.Heattended a campus-wide town hall on Sept. 12 andsaid his opinion that the name needed to be changedwas met with backlash from other athletes in attendance.

"Thinking about going into varsity athletics and seeing fellow athletes who are supposed to be supporting each other in the capacity as athletes and then to know that they're so passionate about keeping [a name]that is detrimental to your mental health it's terrible to say the least," said Jirousek.

He plans to hold a demonstration on Oct.31.