Reimagining The Town Seal - Editorial
We were glad to hear that the Bourne Historical Commission is up to the task of taking on a possible redesign of the town’s official seal.
It has been a long time coming. The seal has been a topic of off-and-on discussion for a few years now, and the news that steps are being taken to put those words into action is much welcomed.
There are a number of ways a redesign of the town seal could be approached—what will it look like? Which features of Bourne will it pay homage to? How can the new seal be designed so that it represents the whole of our diverse town? We’re not sure, but a number of good suggestions have already been thrown out there.
The idea of abandoning human imagery entirely in the seal’s redesign, as pitched by select board vice chairwoman and Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe Chairwoman Melissa Feretti, is one that might bode well for the seal’s longevity. Other towns have taken a similar approach to their official seal, the most notable of which being Mashpee: its new seal, redesigned in 2021, features the Mashpee River, a rising sun, an eagle in flight, a wampum border and a traditional Wampanoag phrase.
The commission is due to report back to the select board sometime in June with ideas on the seal’s redesign. Paying more attention to the innate and natural history of these lands on which we now live—rather than giving tribute to the violence of colonialism—is, we think, the better route to go.