The Fighting Sioux

Guest Opinion/We in North Dakota need to acknowledge the misrepresentation of indigenous peoples as sports logos

By Chase Iron Eyes
Contributing Writer

I have been paying attention to the UND Fighting Sioux ordeal for over 10 years and I am becoming fatigued with every twist and turn those that wish to keep the name are now engaging. I attended the special legislative hearing on Nov. 6, 2011 at the State Capitol. 

It is becoming painfully obvious that the majority of North Dakotans are unwilling to progress with respect to retiring the Sioux name. It seems a fair assessment, and completely asinine, that a significant portion of North Dakotans would choose to stick by the Fighting Sioux name when the practice of using Indians as nicknames/mascots is clearly out of time and place with the rest of the White-American-Male-dominated glory days. Not only have a number of schools made it clear they will not play UND if it retains the name, there are a host of severely damaging consequences that UND will abide by if it wishes to further its athletic and national reputation by remaining a member of the NCAA. Those consequences include giving up the ability to host post-season games. The NCAA sanctions are not the only worries as other schools, including extremely important rivals such as Univ. of Minnesota and Wisconsin, have made it known they do not intend to play UND if it retains the name.

Who still wants the name in the face of the consequences? Not the UND Student Body; not the Athletic Director, not the faculty, not the athletes, not the President, not any forward thinking person, all of which have made it clear to the legislators they want a healthy and prosperous change. There is every reason to change; there is one reason I can fathom as to why the legislators overstepped their bounds and embarrassed themselves and our state by taking such anachronistic positions while fighting to save the Sioux name. The reason is the legislators perceive their constituency base to be as ill-informed and unwilling to evolve as they may be. I felt ashamed for the legislators during the hearing as they heard from every conceivable party of interest that they were foolishly placing UND’s Athletics and general reputation in jeopardy with their antics. However, there is hope. The ND legislators, at least 39 State Senators, have now reluctantly accepted change after several misguided years of trying to cling to the past; a past which objectified and patronized “its” Indians. The ND State Senate voted 39-7 to allow UND to change the name if it chooses, on condition that it wait 3 years.

I said there is hope; that does not mean the outlook is favorable. Three years!? That seems a smart condition: let’s watch for 3 more years as UND’s athletics further nosedives, then change. For UND’s sake and the State’s national reputation I hope a legislator offers an amendment that allows for the timeliest and most immediate of transitions so the damage is controlled. 

This controversy has tarnished UND’s reputation as a premier academic and athletic institution for well over 40 years. All we will accomplish by trying to slither out of the coming change will be to leave our coming generations the same ugly, continuing controversy. Everywhere but the Northern Plains it seems, to an extent, people are socially evolving. The outdated position that the ND State Leadership has taken and the slimy maneuvering it is engaging points to an unwillingness to exhibit true leadership by doing what is right and not what is popular; popular to a seemingly socially stagnant populace that does not recognize that “its Indians” are no longer comfortable with 2nd class treatment. 

Testimony at the hearing on Nov. 6, 2011, kept going back to the perception that North Dakotans were unhappy with Standing Rock’s “silencing” of its constituency. I need to point out that Tribal leadership at Standing Rock has not ignored Tribal members (presumably that support the name). On several occasions nickname supporters have attempted to sway the Standing Rock Tribal Council into putting this issue to a referendum vote; each time those efforts failed. Those efforts failed because a majority of the Tribal Council was and is comfortable with its analysis of competing interests: both sides presented opposing petitions with near equal numbers. Additionally, 6 out of the 8 governing Districts of Standing Rock have called for UND to change the name. These 8 districts operate by true direct democracy; there is no clearer indication that the Standing Rock Council is listening to the voice of the people. Get over it. 

In closing, I can say that one thing is abundantly clear: everybody is sick and tired of the never-ending nature of this controversy. The scant media coverage of the ND’s special session should attest to that. All the people who want healthy change, regardless of race, are not the opponents of anyone. They are not the ones “stuck in the past”; it is quite the opposite.

This is not just about UND athletics. The fate of the Fighting Sioux name now involves our State’s reputation; UND is a State flagship university with medical, law, and aerospace schools, not to mention advanced degree programs in a variety of disciplines.  Legislators should get out of UND’s way. The full Senate is set to vote on Tuesday, with a full House vote on deck. Legislators need to allow for an expedient change and watch as UND pursues new challenges and reaches new heights.

[Editor’s Note: Chase Iron Eyes is an attorney, writer, an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Read more from Chase at his blog: ]http://tiny.cc/ironeyes]
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