Mahopac Should Continue Honoring the Wappinger Native Americans
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
In the letter by Mark Jones (“Mahopac Mascot Change Would Also Require Changing Hamlet Name, January 10-16), which I read very carefully about the issue of the Mahopac High School Native American mascot, I was very happy that we have one more person expounding on the merits of keeping it there.
But I have a correction to make about the hamlet of Mahopac. It was named “big pond” by the Wappingers tribe in their Algonquin language; it is not great lake, as the letter stated.
I’ve done a lot of research on the Native Americans, particularly this tribe. I think it would be a slap in the face to these precious inhabitants not to honor them. If you research history, you will find that these precious people fought for us during the time Britain had a lasso over us during the War for Independence. Both the Sachem David Ninham and his son died, which was very sad.
Do I have to write any more fine points to convince people to go the Wappingers’ way?
Elisabeth B. Joshi
Mahopac
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