A Native American high school volleyball team in Arizona saw a huge turnout for a match after it was rescheduled following a crowd mocking them with war cries.
The Salt River High School Eagles, comprised of all Native American players, attempted to play the Catholic charter school Caurus Academy last week outside of Phoenix, but their coach called off the game for safety reasons after taunts from the crowd.
{mosads}The rescheduled match on Friday gathered a “big turnout,” including security guards who monitored the area, The Arizona Republic reported.
“I’ve never had such a big turnout for one game,” Salt River captain Sialik King told The Arizona Republic. “It was very nice to see that us, as indigenous people, could come together for this game.”
The Eagles lost the match 15-9, which had been moved to the neutral site of Desert Heights Prep Academy.
In the initially scheduled contest, a Salt River player missed the ball, which prompted a group of boys to taunt the team with imitations of tribal war cries, dances and rituals and by yelling “savages.” Parents reported to the Canyon Athletic Association that the Caurus fans were carrying out “tomahawk chops,” along with the high school’s cheerleading team, according to The Washington Post.
A witness told the Republic that the referee’s response was, “Boys will be boys.”
The Canyon Athletic Association held meetings after the game’s postponement, reviewed the two schools’ investigations and decided not to place sanctions on either school, according to a statement obtained by The Hill. The association plans to put together a committee to come up with new policies on “cultural competence.”
“The game did not go as intended, for which we regret and apologize; however, we are happy to see both schools moving forward to finish this competition,” the statement dated Oct. 24 said.
Taté Walker, a spokesperson for Salt River Schools, said in a statement obtained by the Republic that the incident reflects a wider problem on how Native American students are treated.
“Tuesday’s events go beyond one volleyball game and are indicative of systemic discrimination problems that are difficult for many to acknowledge across the education landscape,” Walker said, “especially when it’s so much easier to claim ignorance. … There are more conversations to be had.”
A statement from the Salt River Schools obtained by The Hill dated Oct. 24 said, “We are pleased with the swift actions of our staff taken during Tuesday’s game to uphold student safety, the decision of the CAA to facilitate the completion of the match in a neutral location, and the process and outcomes of the CAA investigation.”