"In an unprecedented move during winter graduation this year, Dr. Bob Boyd, vice president for student and outreach services at UND, broke into a line of graduates receiving their doctoral degrees to congratulate Eric Longie, the first person ever from the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation in Fort Totten, N.D., to receive a doctoral degree.

The announcement brought the audience and Longie's family out of their seats in a rousing ovation for this shy Dakota man. Eric and I have known each other casually for several years, but I didn't know about the long and winding path he had traveled to reach that moment in Chester Fritz Auditorium on Dec. 16.

In order to realize the significance of Longie's "first-ever" doctoral degree, it is important to understand a little of the life story of the Spirit Lake Dakota nation. It has been difficult for these American Indian people. Their history is filled with atrocities committed against them; there were times when they barely were able to eke out a living. And it has been a continuous struggle for them because of misunderstandings of their cultural ways and who they are."

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Road to success goes through rez (The Grand Forks Herald 1/7)

More Dorreen Yellow Bird:
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