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MONDAY, APRIL 28, 2003

Some parents who participate in the YMCA's "Indian Guide" and Indian "princess" program are upset that the national organization is phasing them out.

Participants join a fake "tribe," give themselves an Indian "nickname" and conduct fake "ceremonies." In one Washington chapter, fathers, or "chiefs," and their "princess" daughters chant: "I'm-a-Lummi I'm-a-Lummi I'm-a-Lummi I."

But come this fall, those will all be gone and replaced with a more generalized program that doesn't include references to Indians or Indian culture.

Get the Story:
Y programs shed Indian trappings now deemed racis (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 4/26)

Relevant Links:
YMCA Indian Guides - http://dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Social_Organizations/
YMCA/Indian_Guides_and_Princesses
YMCA - http://www.ymca.net/index.jsp

Related Stories:
YMCA makes changes to 'Indian' program (10/03)
YMCA looks at 'Indian Guide' program (5/1)