Fighting Sioux Nickname On North Dakota Legislative Agenda

In between discussions over flood protection, redistricting and housing, the North Dakota state legislature will dedicate part of next week's special session to one particularly heated issue: the nickname of the University of North Dakota sports teams.

The legislature is expected to pass -- and Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple is expected to sign -- a law allowing for the retirement of the Fighting Sioux nickname in order to prevent NCAA sanctions. The NCAA has said the nickname and school sports logo are offensive.

The legislature had passed a law in the spring, signed by Dalrymple, stripping the state Board of Higher Education of the power to repeal the nickname.

"[The governor] will urge the legislature to pass a bill that returns that decision back to the state Board of Higher Education," said Jeff Zent, Dalrymple's spokesman.

State Senate Minority Leader Ryan Taylor (D-Towner) confirmed that the legislature will likely pass the bill in order to avoid NCAA sanctions. UND officials have not yet decided on a new name.

The original bill passed as the Board of Higher Education was planning to take away the nickname. UND is now attempting to join the Big Sky Conference, which said it would not accept the school as part of the conference as long as it called itself the Fighting Sioux.

The NCAA has asked college athletic programs that have Native American-related nicknames to change the names. The Spirit Lake tribe filed a lawsuit in federal court in North Dakota this week to prevent the changing of the nickname, because they felt they were being discriminated against.

Taylor said that he wishes the issue was not on the legislative agenda at all.

"We've got people whose homes have been destroyed," he said. "[But] there will be a large amount of debate over the logo at UND."

Comments

[dbrett480]

05:51 PM on 11/27/2011

What's the problem with the nickname? Are there any Irish people offended by the real UND's use of "fighting Irish?"

[LonesomeDave]

12:29 PM on 11/07/2011

Oh for {insert diety} sake. Just keep the name.

It would make it less expensive for the University because they would not have to remove any of the 'offensive' logos. The Sioux logo is plastered all over the Ralph, something like 2,000 of them and thats not counting each seat in the Ralph if memory serves me right.

It's all moot anyway,even if they did stop calling them the Fighting Sioux, the press would call them UND but everyone else would just keep saying Fighting Sioux or just Sioux. We like them up here :)

[pearlx2]

08:58 AM on 11/07/2011

Teams need to stop naming themselves after human beings -- it's totally insensitive. The Braves, the Redskins -- all of them need to change their names, mainly because Native Americans have STRONGLY protested against them and objected to these names, feeling them to be an insult to their culture.

I wonder how people would feel about a team called the Alabama Rednecks or the Pennsylvania White Boys?

[tjoans]

09:26 AM on 11/07/2011

Or "Minnesota Vikings?"

[LonesomeDave]

12:32 PM on 11/07/2011

"Hey oooo"

[pearlx2]

09:11 AM on 11/08/2011

Well, I don't think there're enough Vikings around to even care.

[Lawyer13]

08:01 AM on 11/07/2011

A view from across the pond : I would have thought that America had more serious problems to sort out, If I were a member of the Sioux Nation I would be proud that the local sports team had recognised my race.

[p456]

09:23 AM on 11/07/2011

Your not a member of the Sioux nation and that is why your opinion means nothing.

[morefromLA]

11:17 AM on 11/07/2011

He's a member of the human race and has a right to peacefully express his opinion. We can all decide whether to agree or disagree.

[PuSencer]

11:25 PM on 11/09/2011

i agree. i think it's a term of admiration and respect. no one is ever called the "fighting french"

[AlwaysRight213]

07:46 AM on 11/07/2011

Reading this very misleading article you would get the impression that the Spirit Lake Tribe was offended and filed a lawsuit. Where just the opposite is the fact. The Tribe wants the school to continue to use the name and is suing the NCAA for imposing sanctions.

[xhawk2]

07:40 AM on 11/07/2011

This is silly. The Sioux Indians themselves don't mind the nickname. The only people complaining are PC liberals who pretend to care about the Native Americans.

[p456]

09:24 AM on 11/07/2011

And we all know how much the so called compassionate conservatives care about Native Americans don't we?

[popart]

07:00 AM on 11/07/2011

AND yet more nonsense is taken seriously as Americans continue to embrace victimhood... way to go people of North Dakota.

[vfcs]

03:58 AM on 11/07/2011

I am a Greek/American and proud of the fact that several schools use "Spartans" as their nickname and mascot. First of all, it means that the Greeks/Spartans are significant enough to warrant the recognition. Second, it is major publicity and keeps Greece in the public eye (along with the bad economic news).

I feel somewhat privileged when I see the Michigan State Spartans on TV. At the high school that I attended we were the Spartans and the school where I recently retired from teaching also had Spartans for their nickname.

I couldn't be prouder.

[RED BONE]

07:41 AM on 11/07/2011

OK did you ever get called greeko's in a derogatory manner, have some one tell you that you are just a Greek and that they are the whatever and that you must know your place. Have your culture made into a cartoon character that depicts it as less than?????????????/

My point is that you may be proud of how your culture/ancestry has been portrayed. I bet if the Greek culture was portrayed the same as native culture has you would not feel the same.

[vfcs]

10:37 AM on 11/07/2011

Why throw out the good with the bad? This is one area where groups can get positive recognition. I am sure that the people in Kansas City are proud to be the Chiefs. And the same goes for so many other places with sports teams. If the Native Americans want to disappear from our culture, getting rid if any positive references to them is the quickest way to do it.

[LoriAnn]

11:56 AM on 11/07/2011

I hear ya Red Bone... when things become political all common sense goes out the window !

[NatAM]

10:12 AM on 11/07/2011

And where are the Spartans today? You're talking ancient history- literally. As a Native American I find this issue to be offensive. You lie, cheat, steal, poison, rape, destroy, and starve us into submission- then 'honor' us by naming your teams after us? I considering naming my dog 'Caucasian' even though he's dark brown, just to honor white culture. Oh, and by the way, go back to Greece.

[Rooster Coburn]

01:24 AM on 11/07/2011

Doesn't Notre Dame use the term "Fighting Irish"?

[Peace Walker]

10:00 AM on 11/07/2011

When they chosen, the vast majority of their students and staff were of Irish descent. They chose the name for themselves. That is quite different.

[jcd8822]

11:04 PM on 11/06/2011

Maybe the NCAA should ask college athletic programs that have animal-related nicknames to change those names also. I am sure that animal rights activists, zoos, animal lovers and wildlife federations find the use of animal names also offensive.

[schildpad]

05:41 AM on 11/07/2011

Uh huh. And your comparison of Native activists (many of which do want to see these nicknames retired and have pushed the NCAA to this point) to animal rights activists is really an apt one. Yup.

[Peace Walker]

10:01 AM on 11/07/2011

Right, because everyone knows that we Native Americans are the equivalent of animals. Thanks for making the whole point of the issue obvious for everyone.

[BligeTheVOTE]

08:56 PM on 11/06/2011

Teams which purposely offend minorities, need to be shunned, and not a dime donated to fund them, and not one fan going to their games. In Louisiana they even have confederate flags done in the purple and gold LSU colors. Players and coaches should warn the fans that ONE of those hateful racist flags show up on ,campus, or any away game, and the players will forfeit the game. Until there is a consequence and ZERO tollerance for this crud, it will continue...and another generation LEARNS this garbage all over again.

[snafu20]

06:49 PM on 11/06/2011

i am native and i don't care, its a positive thing

[tullydad]

10:45 PM on 11/06/2011

At least some Lakota DO care. Shouldn't we respect them?

[RED BONE]

07:47 AM on 11/07/2011

It would depend upon how the college and team use the nickname. The Florida State Seminoles have reached out to the Seminole Nation and asked permission, and what could they do to portray the Nation in a positive manner. If UND does the same then I would not be so negative to the nick name.

I have nothing against the Washington football team, but hate their nick name. If some one were to call me the "R" word I would want to rip their face off.

[Peace Walker]

10:03 AM on 11/07/2011

Exactly!

[onegandolf1]

06:39 PM on 11/06/2011

Well, now. Wait a minute. Why is it any of The NCAA's business what a school's mascot is?

And, as a proud Irishman, can we expect these do gooders to forse Notre Dame to do the same ?

But the H*ll out, NCAA !

[RED BONE]

07:55 AM on 11/07/2011

Does Notre Dame portray the Irish as a bunch of drunkards, or as simple cartoonish characters? It is not as simple a comparison as you make it out to be.

[onegandolf1]

09:02 AM on 11/07/2011

Does North Dakota? How about ND's Leprechaun ?And obviously you have never seen portrayals (as Monkeys -sort of in the same manner as Obama was in at least one Cartoon) of the Irish which were so common in the 1800's.

I think the comparison to be spot on, but then again, I couldn't care less. Fighting & Boozeing are a part of our culture. Even though I haven't been told that there was a lot of drinking among my Grandfather and his five brothers, The Saturday afternoon boxing matches were a tradition.

[glennkromminga]

05:06 PM on 11/06/2011

And people wonder why Americans are so disastified with their government actions.

[stevenmb03]

04:15 PM on 11/08/2011

The NCAA and the US government are in NO way related to each other. The NCAA is a private association.

[everysome]

04:25 PM on 11/06/2011

A licensing arraingment for use of the name with the funds going to a tribe non profit would work all the way around.

[onegandolf1]

06:40 PM on 11/06/2011

A good suggestion, but why is it any of their business in the first place?

Join the NAIA.