Based on a legend about Ogeekeda Hoschenegada, a 16th-century leader of the Onondaga Nation, the mascot acquired popularity after appearing in school publications and eventually became part of the university's culture.
[4] The mascot was retired in 1978 as a result of efforts to have it removed, and this marked the beginning of programs designed to increase indigenous inclusion and knowledge on campus.
[5] The development of the Saltine Warrior as Syracuse University's mascot became intertwined with the legend of Ogeekeda Hoschenegada, a notable 16th-century chief of the Onondaga Nation.
The Daily Orange and other regional news outlets later played a part in spreading the myth and ensuring its perpetuation in Syracuse University students' collective memory.
During this period, a member of Syracuse University's Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity began attending football games dressed as an exact replica of the Saltine Warrior.
This portrayal includes exaggerated and insulting parts intended to be amusing, but ultimately reinforced negative stereotypes about Native American customs.
During some of the school's football games, a drunk white frat student would “take off into the stands and run around making the "whooping" sounds attributed to Indians and their war dances.