The Whitesboro seal, originating in the early 1900s, displays founder Hugh White with his hands on the Native American’s neck choking him.

City officials contend it depicts a friendly wrestling match that White won, gaining the respect of the Oneida Indians. The seal was replaced with this one in 1970 after a lawsuit by a Native American group who disagreed with that version of history.

This seal attracted more controversy in 2016 when it was shamed on national television by “The Daily Show” on comedy central. The village residents voted 157 to 55 to keep the seal as-is rather than change it but the town’s image was damaged on the national stage so the mayor changed the logo by force.

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An updated seal was adopted in the summer of 2017. While the new seal depicts the same scene as the previous seal it has been changed so that it no longer depicts the Native American as being strangled to death but rather supports the original story of a friendly wrestling match.