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Opinion
Letters: Controversy over 'Fighting Sioux' name


Steve Molvig: "Native Americans who attended reservation schools in either North or South Dakota for the past 50 years had a better that 90 percent chance that their school had a Native American logo. And, yes, there are two schools on Dakota reservations that have the name Sioux for their logo and school identity. Does this mean that these students went each day to a school they felt was "hostile and abusive"? Did their parents and relatives force them to endure 12 humiliating years of participating in the sports and other activities of their school that was associated with a Native American logo or identity?"

Truman P. Reed Jr.: "Considering legal action over the Sioux nickname? Ridiculous! This whole issue should have been put to rest 20 years ago, when the first Native American raised objections to the logo and nickname."

Edward Halas: "Some white people want to abolish the Sioux logo and nickname because it offends some Native Americans. That seems to be a reasonable argument, and it makes one feel good to help the oppressed. These same white people probably would be shocked, as I was, to learn that many Native Americans, especially the Lakota, would like to blow up or at least cover up the Mountt Rushmore monument."

Get the Story:
IN THE MAIL : Reservation schools stereotype, too (The Grand Forks Herald 5/1)

Related Stories:
Mixed reactions to NCAA decision in GF (The Grand Forks Herald 4/29)
NICKNAME CONTROVERSY: A 'very, very hard case' (The Grand Forks Herald 4/30)

NCAA Executive Committee Decision:
Native American Mascot Appeals Decisions (April 28, 2006)

NCAA Staff Decision on Fighting Sioux:
Statement by NCAA Senior Vice-President for Governance and Membership Bernard Franklin on University of North Dakota Review(September 28, 2005)

NCAA Policy on Indian Mascots:
NCAA Executive Committee Issues Guidelines for Use of Native American Mascots at Championship Events (August 5, 2005)

Relevant Links:
University of North Dakota - http://www.und.edu
The Ralph - http://www.theralph.com
Fighting Sioux - http://www.fightingsioux.com
NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee - http://www1.ncaa.org/eprise/main/
membership/governance/assoc-wide/moic/index.html

National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media - http://www.aimovement.org/ncrsm

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