Historically inaccurate images of Wampanoag life will be replaced on the Yarmouth town seal if voters approve a modified seal being proposed.
Members of the Yarmouth Town Seal Committee met with the Yarmouth Select Board Dec. 19 to present what they say is a more appropriate seal than the one that has been in place for more than a hundred years.
The existing seal prominently displays a depiction of a Wampanoag man dressed in a way not consistent with what the tribe wore standing alongside a teepee of a kind not used by the Wampanoag.
The proposed seal would eliminate those two elements and bring to the forefront a two-masted schooner and pine tree which appear only in the background of the earlier design. The new design also features the Point Gammon Lighthouse, a landmark in Yarmouth for generations.
"The committee believes that the recommended town seal corrects the cultural imagery of the Wampanoag tribe and enhances the historic imagery of the town seal," said George Slama, vice chair of the Town Seal Committee.
Fritz Klaetke, a West Yarmouth resident and founder of the Visual Dialogue design firm, which created the new design at no cost to the town, said the Eastern white pine is the most prominent feature. He called it, "key to the Wampanoag creation myth, but also very significant for the history of Cape Cod; a pine that grows in sandy soil."
Klaetke said that dropping the human figure from the design was in keeping with guidance from a statewide commission, which said that since it is impossible to accurately reflect everyone, it is best not to include human figures in town seals.
Yarmouth first adopted a town seal in 1892, six years before each town in Massachusetts was required to have one. The seal has remained virtually unchanged since then, however several variants are now in use on town signs, documents and vehicles.
"They're all different," said former Yarmouth Town Administrator Bob Lawton, who chairs the Town Seal Committee. He added that rather than incur the significant cost of replacing all town seals at once, the committee is recommending that images on town employee uniforms and vehicles be replaced on an ongoing basis as replacements are needed. He said in some cases funds are already included in town budgets for such replacements.
Select board member Mark Forest said the re-design process is important to many in Yarmouth who are interested in the town's history.
"This is a very interesting exercise for the town and it provides an opportunity to not only focus on the town and the seal, but also on the town itself," Forest said.
The Town Seal Committee will at some point ask the select board to formally support the changes being proposed and include an article on a future town meeting warrant asking for voter approval. Once that happens, the committee plans to hold public information sessions to explain the changes to residents and get them involved in the process.
