Blog: Off the Reservation
The University of North Dakota’s “Tribute” a Mockery of Natives
By Troy Doney, 9-30-08
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I mentioned in my last blog post how the University of North Dakota has yet to retire their mascot, the Fighting Sioux. It seems they have other plans for the embattled icon.
The flags of the Standing Rock and Spirit Lake reservations are going on display on Oct. 5th. They’ll make their grand showing before a men’s hockey game with Native musicians lending the closest thing to cultural authenticity in the entire Ralph Engelstad Arena.
You could grill the administrators of the UND on why this latest maneuver was attempted, but you wouldn’t get the real answer. All you need is common sense. UND has, for some time now, been chastised for their mascot. They’ve defended it by saying that the Fighting Sioux is not a derogatory stereotype. The UND (and every sporting organization with a derogatory mascot) says that the Fighting Sioux is, in fact, a tribute to the proud Native Americans. This defense has met with limited success. The NCAA wasn’t fooled, and is requiring the UND to get approval from the Standing Rock and Spirit Lake reservations to use the logo by Nov. 30, 2010. Otherwise, the nickname and logo will be retired.
This latest reinvention of the embroiled mascot defense is transparent. By putting the flags of the Spirit Lake and Standing Rock reservations in their arena, they are attempting to legitimize their defense that, all along, they’ve only sought to honor the Indians of America with their violence-driven stereotype.
This latest hollow gesture is condescending on every imaginable level and blatant as the nose on my face. This is a way of saying that they’re honoring the American Indian, this most meager of bones thrown to the people that they can’t bring themselves to stop disrespecting. That the flags are all the proof they’ve ever needed that this isn’t an insult perpetuated by administrative indifference. This argument would only work on the most naïve or apathetic of individuals. That somehow, this would be enough to silence the critics of the UND.
There are other defenses, of course. A ceremony for the Oct. 5 event will feature a Spirit Lake representative giving a “position of support” statement. This has the same legitimacy to it as a scientist who stands against evolution. Everybody isn’t on the same page on these issues.
It should be mentioned that the UND doesn’t need tribal permission to use the flags of the Spirit Lake and Standing Rock reservations. In fact, the only permission needed in all of this would be from the two reservations, if they wanted to take those flags down. The Ralph Engelstad Arena is on private land, after all.
The continued, unequivocal support from the University of North Dakota for this mockery of Native Americans has reached a new level of depravity. Every step of the way, they’ve tried to build defenses against critics, citing them like a scratched CD when pressed. All they’ve built is a house of cards, each card with a new insult, reaching toward the heavens. The strong gust of wind that will come in 2010 can’t come soon enough.
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Comments
As for the idea of canning every Indian-related team name, sorry, but I can't get into that at all. That's like zapping the Fighting Irish or the Minnesota Vikings -- and those are sovereign nationalities, too.
The problem with your viewpoint is that you are describing other people's actions and intent and feelings without confirmation. Your article characterizes you as being offended, without any clear feedback from the indians themselves. Why should you be offended, when it is not clear from the article if the indians are offended? You offer offensive characterizations about your readers who may disagree with you. I think you need to dig a little deeper into the debate and report how the Indians truly feel about the situation. I can tell you how I feel; it doesn't matter, its a free country to express yourself and if others wish to take things out of contex, that is their right as well. Let's get of this ridiculous soapbox about offending each other all the time as it is highly destructive behavior and is not in character with a pluralistic society.
Sorry for the mess up on titles. I've spent two summers in South Dakota and probably just started typing on auto-pilot after that. My apologies, the mix up won't happen again.
Sorry for the South/North mix up on that. As for the canning of every Indian related team, it's something I can get behind. By all means, teams can be named after nationalities. But in the case of the Fighting Sioux, the Washington Redskins or the Kansas City Chiefs, there is a resistance to these titles and teams. Often, the resistance is from the tribes themselves. If a said sovereign nationality has no issue with being a mascot, then by all means let them be a mascot. But if the nationality in question does have an issue, then perhaps they shouldn't be made into a mascot.
Of course, this isn't going to be an issue when 2010 rolls around.
As an Assinboine raised on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, I feel as if I can provide some feedback as an Indian.
But I do see your point in needing to gather more opinions. I find it hard that any could argue with my point of view in this, but I shouldn't make assumptions on topics that I have interest in.
You have shown wisdom and understanding; now I understand where you are coming from. Good job.
Maybe the "Proud Sioux" would be a better name.
Russ
Really classy comment. Big fan of commercials and intolerance, I take it. Glad to have an intelligent, constructive comment of that caliber on my post . By all means, continue.
I believe that people with viewpoints like yours boils down to one's own self-esteem.
If you're so worried about people being insulted, why do you equate the hundreds of other nations that weren't Lakota, Dakota nor Nakota with being the same as them?
Also, I'm not sure why you think the NCAA's stamp of approval's such a great thing. IMHO it just shows that a big school with money like FSU can buy off an ok while their fans continue to be royal assholes and do the tomahawk chop.
And what is so wrong with this position of support? Is this the red skinned equiv to the ol' negro blanket insult of calling someone an uncle tom if they didn't conform to a certain way of thinking?
My favorite part of UND hockey is when people sing the national anthem.... only they get it right and sing that it's not the home of the brave but the home of the Sioux.
outrage...
...is it really wrong to call them the Fighting Sioux?
...you did read the article, right? Surely, you must understand that you cannot stereotype an entire people as violent marauders for the sake of a sports team. Is that really your defense for it? That they, like all the other peoples of the world, had violent episodes in their past?
Please tell me otherwise.
Troy, I didn't read any articles. Articles have factual claims in them. They at least attempt to give news in a balanced way, bringing out different aspects and arguments. What I read and commented to was not an article but an an opinion post. One with some very grandiouse claims thrown out there without any factual backing.
You really shouldn't be surprised that there are people who read things with a critical eye. These people don't accept something as fact without, well, there actually being proof that it's true. If you have some evidence to back your claims, please share it. I'm not saying this to mock you but to help you understand that there are those of us open to reason. We just need to be shown reasons; not have someone spout offa bunch of claims without sharing any sources or facts.
Now I don't want to put words in your mouth but I haven't seen anything that doesn't appear to be the stereotypical argument that use of the name "fighting sioux" is deeply insulting and that only a dolt wouldn't realize it. It's been portrayed by many, and again you may not be quite getting at this, that all "indians" find this an insult. Somehow without any proof we're expected to accept that this is how things are.
From what I've seen over the years, the name issues have never been clear cut. There is clearly a very vocal group that has some clear statements on where they stand. BUt it's never been clear that what they had to say actually reflected what the community as whole was feeling.
As it turns out, Native Americans are just like other humans. There is a wide variety of opinions in their communities about an issue like the University of North Dakota's use of "Fighting Sioux" as a nickname. With this issue and other school names issues dragging out over the decades, we've gotten to a point where some things have happened that are contrary to these claims of the use of this name being an insult.
We saw the Seminoles give FSU their stamp of approval despite the tomahawk chop which, at least in my opinion, is incredibly ignorant and insulting. And more recently we've seen the Spirit Lake nation overwhelming vote to say that they are not insulted by the use of the Fighting Sioux nickname. Using names like "Fighting Sioux" by the University of North Dakota may be something you yourself find insulting. But from what I've seen in terms of actual evidence, most people including members of those nations don't see it that way.