Alaska is a hotbed for spectacular, unique high school mascot names. And it makes sense, as along with Hawaii, it's one of two extremely unique American states.
It was a tough call which Alaska school to choose for the Mascot Mondays choice this week, but we are going with the Halfbreeds of
Aniak.
Halfbreeds is not surprisingly a unique name. And the story behind it is so very Alaskan.
Photo courtesy of Molly Dodd
, the school picked the mascot name to reflect its origins - a history formed by both native Alaskans and white settlers.
Students picked the Halfbreeds name in the 1970s to honor the Yu'pik Eskimos and the white settlers who came to town and eventually formed marriages. The children bred from those marriages were halfbreeds, in the most literal sense, so the name fit.
It doesn't come without controversy, as some around America consider the name to be derogatory. But locals quoted in the 2005 story say it was chosen by locals and is a source of pride.
"It's never been an issue with us," Gary Matthews, executive director of the Alaska School Activities Association, said in the 2005 story. "They mean something to the communities or they wouldn't select them.
"It's not a derogatory term to call someone an Eskimo or an Indian or a Harpooner," he said. "It's just a fact of life."
Aniak is located on the Kuskokwim River and the 2010 census counted 501 residents. It's much closer to Russia than any mainland American city, and a gold rush in the 1800s revived the village, which had been deserted.
So how do you possibly make a mascot logo to sum up the story behind Halfbreeds? They found a simple method: A white settler's face, an Eskimo's face and a harpoon crossed with a rifle.
