BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts’ Senate has unanimously approved creating a commission to review the state seal and motto, which includes a controversial depiction of a Native American man.
The bill still needs House approval, but Native American groups praised Tuesday’s vote.
They also called on lawmakers to take action on a bill banning public schools from using Indian mascots and another strengthening protections for Indian burial sites and sacred objects.
Massachusetts’ seal and flag depicts a Native American man, a colonist’s arm brandishing a sword, and a Latin phrase that reads, in part, “By the sword we seek peace.”
