Local view: Should the Massachusetts state flag be changed?

July 4th. Our usual group from many years gathered to celebrate. We always have good food and stimulating conversation, and this year the conversation was on a patriotic topic, perfect for a patriotic holiday. Should the design on the Massachusetts State Flag be changed?

Gerry and I hadn't heard anything about the movement to change the flag, and it was an unknown topic for some others too. In fact, we didn't know much about the design, other than the flag had a Native American on it, and that seemed fine as they were the original people living here. But, is it fine?

How do you find out information quickly? Our cell phones. We adults know it's not good etiquette to be on our phones when visiting with friends, but this was an exception. We needed to look at the design on the flag and what is being said about it. Google.

For more than 50 years, indigenous leaders of Massachusetts have been calling on the state legislature to change the state flag. They feel the symbol is offensive and suggests hostility, not peace – the sword suspended over the Native American's head is modeled after the sword used by the Pilgrim's military commander Myles Standish who was brutal to the natives. The bow is one taken from an Indian who was shot and killed in Sudbury in 1665. The belt was designed after one worn by King Philip, who was a native leader of the first revolt against the white colonists, a deadly war that lasted from 1675-1676. King Philip was killed in 1676; his head was severed and displayed on a pole as a war trophy in Plymouth for many years.

Brian Weeden, chairman of the Wampanoag Tribe in Mashpee, said, "The flag is a reminder of genocide." Furthermore, he added, "The native on the flag is a chief from Montana, and that is inappropriate for Massachusetts."

Weeden and Brian Boyles of Mass Humanities are co-chairs of the special commission investigating the design.

Due to the efforts of many supporters, the legislature has finally taken action on the natives' plea, and former Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill in 2021 to appoint a committee to research and make recommendations for a new design. The House and Senate appointed a 19-member commission comprised of legislators, historians and Native American leaders from Massachusetts. The committee meets monthly and has voted unanimously that a change is needed. They will present their design recommendations to the legislature for approval in November this year.

David Detmold, former newspaper editor of the Montague Reporter, keeps in close contact with the progress of the commission and has been involved in research and reaching out to educate the public on the subject. He said, "The flag is insulting to Native people and to anyone who cares about racial justice. It is an image of violence. The flag should represent the highest ideals of the commonwealth." (We checked out the flags from the other New England states, and they all represent peaceful scenes.)

Public opinion sought

The committee wants to know the opinions of residents. Detmold said that UMass Boston will soon be conducting a poll of 2,500 residents and there will also be an internet site where votes can be registered. Some towns and cities have included the question on town meeting warrants so people can express their wishes. So far, 77 towns and cities have voted favorably to change the flag and seven voted not to change. Many in western Massachusetts have voted in favor of changing – Athol, Petersham, Barre, Orange, Royalston, and all the towns surrounding Greenfield, but it has not been brought to a vote in Gardner, Phillipston, Hubbardston, Templeton, Winchendon, Ashburnham and many others in the eastern part of the state.

Whether or not we will have an opportunity to vote on the matter at a town meeting, it is a subject we need to know about and understand why a new design may be more appropriate for our state flag. You may contact your local legislator if you wish to express your opinion. And, if you have an idea for a new design, you are welcome to contact the office of state Rep. Tony Cabral, committee member, in order for Committee Secretary Kate Miller to receive your idea.

Some interesting statistics: There are over 90,000 Native Americans living in Massachusetts. Native reservations are located in Mashpee, Taunton, Gay Head and Grafton. The state name came from the Massachusett tribe, the first natives the colonists met. Some descendants of that tribe still reside in Brookline, where a large tribe lived before they were almost completely decimated by smallpox.

Gerry and I don't typically like changes, but when we learned that the design has been changed several times, we realized that we don't have an original historic design. The present one was created by Edmund Garrett in 1898. We, and I'm sure many others, haven't carefully studied the flag, especially the sword above the native's head.

The current proposal to redesign it brought to mind the words of former Sen. Steve Brewer, who said, "If you're going to hurt people's feelings, you've got to stop it." Most of us haven't been aware that the design has been hurtful.

It was an enlightening Fourth of July for us, and my heart was touched afterward when I talked to those involved in the project. We honored our Native Americans when we named our state after the Massachusetts tribe; now we need to have a state flag that honors everyone, a flag we all are proud of.

Carole Gariepy is a Phillipston resident and author of “Dragging Gerry around the World” and “Why Go There?”

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Mass. state flag may get redesign due to Native Americans' concerns