Native American house names dropped by school

A prestigious London prep school is embroiled in a debate about cultural appropriation after doing away with its historic Native American house names.

- EMMA GUINNESS

The decision was made by Dulwich Prep to avoid offending those of Native American ancestry and cited a wider cultural shift in “society’s understanding as history evolves”.

According to reports, the independent boys’ school had also received some complaints from parents about the ongoing use of tribe names. While the current head has defended the change in an open letter to parents, former pupils have argued that the former house names – Chippeway, Deerfeet, Mohican or Ojibwa – were an integral part of their experience.

BBC world affairs editor John Simpson, 79, was one of those who questioned the decision, arguing that the house names, which had been in place since 1916, were not offensive. He told the Mail on Sunday: “I’m really depressed that something fundamental to the experience of every Dulwich Prep kid – which of us doesn’t remember whether he was a Chippeway, Deerfeet, Mohican or Ojibwa? – is being done away with.