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Saltine Warrior

The Saltine Warrior was a mascot used by Syracuse University athletics from the early 1930s to the late 1970s.

As part of the Native American mascot controversy, the logo drew criticism from fans, students, alumni, and others. Following a student protest group, the school discontinued the mascot in 1978.

History

File:Saltine Warrior Statue.jpg

Saltine Warrior statue in front of Carnegie Library on Syracuse University campus

The legend of the Saltine Warrior came from a story published in a Syracuse University campus magazine, The Orange Peel, in October of 1931. According to the story, the remains of a 16th century Onondaga chief were found while the school was building a new gymnasium in 1928. The SU class of 1951 commissioned a statue of the Saltine Warrior, also known as Big Chief Bill Orange, to be built near where it was believed the remains were discovered. The statue was moved to different locations around the campus before finding its permanent home outside the Carnegie Library.

The story of the Saltine Warrior’s remains was found to be untrue forty-five years later. It was discovered to be a hoax, but the mascot had already been instituted at the university. However, it gained the attention of the student body and six years after the publication of the article, the Saltine Warrior became the mascot of Syracuse University. In the mid-1950s, the tradition of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity brothers serving as the Saltine Warrior mascot began after a father made a Saltine Warrior costume for his son to wear at football games.

Controversy

Throughout the 1960s, the characteristics of Big Chief Bill Orange began to mirror the behavior of white fraternity houses, turning the figure into a caricature of Native Americans. This behavior was eventually interpreted as disrespectful as the Saltine Warrior mascot would mock Native American traditions like dancing. This raised the question to S.U. faculty and students about whether or not the mascot was appropriate.

After a meeting in August of 1977 to discuss how to remove the Saltine Warrior, it was announced that the mascot would be removed at the end of the spring semester of 1978. This decision was met with opposition from many SU students, faculty, and alumni. The Vice President of University Affairs received statements from many university organizations and alumni expressing their support for keeping the mascot.

Later Mascot Variations

Following the removal of the Saltine Warrior, a gladiator became the temporary Syracuse mascot. It was not received well by fans, even getting booed off the field during games. Multiple mascots followed, including “Egnaro the Troll”, a man in an orange tuxedo based off of Superman. Finally, in 1980, an orange as a mascot was introduced.

The first version of the mascot was known as “an orange with appeal”, and early names for were Clyde and then Woody. In 1990, the orange became known as Otto (beating out Opie, which was deemed too easy to rhyme with “Dopie”).

In 1995, Syracuse considered changing its mascot once again, this time to a wolf. But students pushed back against the idea, and Otto remained and was instated as the official Syracuse University mascot and has remained as such ever since.

Current Effects on Syracuse University

Today, while the Saltine Warrior statue remains, Syracuse University participates in many events intended to assist indigenous students. Syracuse celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Native Heritage Month, which recognizes the culture of the indigenous population. All school events begin with a Land Acknowledgement Statement, which states “We acknowledge with respect the Onondaga Nation, Firekeepers of the Haudenosaunee, the Indigenous People on whose ancestral lands Syracuse University now stands.” Syracuse also flies the Haudenosaunee Flag on campus.

Additionally, Syracuse has a Native American and Indigenous Studies minor, a certificate in Iroquois linguistics, Native American research resources, and a Center for Global Indigenous Cultures and Environmental Justice.

Many programs have been set up at SU to support the indigenous population following the events of the Saltine Warrior mascot controversy, such as a Native Student Program, established in 2006, helping transition students from a Native American tribe to the university.