"Names and nicknames are important to many Indian people. They have meaning and tie us to our families and community - although, I should add, some names are negative and shouldn't be used.

When I think of those good and funny nicknames, I think of my family.

Today is my baby brother Grover Valentine "Coolie" Yellow Bird Jr.'s, birthday. He's a real St. Valentine's Day baby, and I know he'll love that I told the whole world - right, old man? Furthermore, I'm reminding him he still is that little Valentine baby Mom always favored. I'm smiling.

Mom liked giving each of us a good Christian name - hence, the St. Valentine name for my brother. She always added more names for baptism and confirmation after we went through those church rituals. All the members of our family have several names. Mine? Dorreen Medicine-Rattle-Woman (Indian name) Veronica Theresa Yellow Bird Lonefight, then Yellow Bird again. (I don't use the Lonefight anymore, of course, because that belongs to my ex-husband.)

Notice that I didn't put my nickname on the list. It's been many years since I've been called by my nickname - a nickname that is one of the best-kept secrets in the tribe or even the nation. It's funny, but don't ask."

Get the Story:
COLUMNIST DORREEN YELLOW BIRD : A prairie rose by any other name (The Grand Forks Herald 2/14)

More Dorreen Yellow Bird:
Yellow Bird: Film to explore tribe's young people (2/13)
Yellow Bird: My first time behind the wheel (2/6)
Yellow Bird: Elders still deserve to be respected (1/31)
Yellow Bird: The suicides at Standing Rock -- Why? (1/30)
Yellow Bird: Tribal gaming is not Vegas gaming (1/23)
Yellow Bird: Winter is the time for storytelling (1/17)
Yellow Bird: Forgot your PIN? It's not old age (1/16)
Yellow Bird: Close encounters with the wildlife kind (1/10)
Yellow Bird: Graduate's long path to success (1/9)
Yellow Bird: 2005 was a year of haunts, tragedy (1/4)
Yellow Bird: Why do young Indians come to UND? (12/19)
Yellow Bird: Road rage and good samaritans (12/13)
Yellow Bird: Blessed with a crazy but good week (12/12)
Yellow Bird: Hope in woodpecker's survival (12/6)
Yellow Bird: Non-Native views not always accurate (12/1)
Yellow Bird: Giving thanks and mourning loss (11/22)
Yellow Bird: Laughing is a gift from the Creator (11/15)
Yellow Bird: Smoking a hard addiction to break (11/14)
Yellow Bird: The troll meets the trickster in Dakotas (11/8)
Yellow Bird: Some reservation nicknames a secret (11/2)
Yellow Bird: Halloween way back in the 'old days' (10/31)
Yellow Bird: The importance of Indian names (10/25)
Yellow Bird: Elders taking more active role in tribe (10/17)
Yellow Bird: Bridge another page in tribal history (10/10)
Yellow Bird: All tribes have stake in 'Sioux' fight (10/6)
Yellow Bird: Family opposes tribe's oil refinery (9/27)
Yellow Bird: Oil or ethanol? Another debate (9/26)
Yellow Bird: Howling, not dancing, with wolves (9/19)
Yellow Bird: Clearing the air on the 'Sioux' name (9/14)
Yellow Bird: A black bear cub bit my finger (9/12)
Yellow Bird: Becoming a nation of cell phone heads (08/29)
Yellow Bird: The wonderful sound of the 'pop' (8/22)
Yellow Bird: Paying tribute to corn, the sacred plant (8/16)
Yellow Bird: Summer is the season for wild berries (8/9)
Yellow Bird: Summer ceremony for the children (8/8)
Yellow Bird: Don't study Kennewick Man remains (07/18)
Yellow Bird: Speeding through another summer (7/11)
Yellow Bird: All men equal, except for 'savages' (7/5)
Yellow Bird: The growing pains of tribal leaders (6/28)
Yellow Bird: Driving while talking a new hazard (6/27)
Yellow Bird: Winners became losers after Bighorn (6/21)
Yellow Bird: Horse ride against substance abuse (6/14)
Yellow Bird: Diabetes epidemic in Indian Country (6/13)
Yellow Bird: Indian center at UND should look Indian (6/7)
Yellow Bird: New joys come with passage of time (05/23)
Yellow Bird: 'Fighting Sioux' doesn't honor Indians (5/17)
Yellow Bird: Indian Health Service has failed us (5/10)
Yellow Bird: Talking with a World War II veteran (5/9)
Yellow Bird: The amazing Monarch butterfly (5/2)
Yellow Bird: Whole-wheat fry bread isn't so bad (4/26)
Yellow Bird: A visit to the Sacred Heart Monastery (4/19)
Yellow Bird: Indian gaming profits for the few (4/18)
Yellow Bird: UND powwow a showcase of our culture (4/12)
Yellow Bird: Tex Hall declares war on diabetes (4/11)
Yellow Bird: Messages of life during time of sorrow (4/4)
Yellow Bird: Media interested in getting the true story (3/30)
Yellow Bird: Red Lake people are gentle warriors (3/28)
Yellow Bird: Red Lake community in deep pain (3/24)
Yellow Bird Series: Suicide on the reservation (03/16)
Yellow Bird Series: Suicide on the reservation (3/14)
Yellow Bird: Use state budget surplus to fund child care (3/8)
Yellow Bird: An excellent adventure in the country (3/7)
Yellow Bird: Another one of my excellent adventures (3/1)
Yellow Bird: I'll take long hair over curling iron (2/28)
Yellow Bird: 'Fighting Sioux' needs to be changed (2/21)
Yellow Bird: Don't pull funding from 'Iron Horse' (2/14)
Yellow Bird: Accepting my mother's passing (2/8)
Yellow Bird: Churchills make lost Indians look bad (2/7)
Yellow Bird: A nation cannot flourish without children (2/1)
Yellow Bird: New center gives birth to new ideas (1/31)
Yellow Bird: Education system has seen many changes (1/25)
Yellow Bird: North Dakota shouldn't step on tribes (01/17)
Yellow Bird: Gaming only a temporary fix for tribes (1/10)
Yellow Bird: New Year brings out unusual traditions (1/7)
Yellow Bird: Bridges tell history of North Dakota tribe (12/07)
Yellow Bird: Watch out for dirt in your sausage (11/30)
Yellow Bird: Elders still maintain influence (11/29)
Yellow Bird: Worst fry bread served during NMAI (11/23)
Yellow Bird: Boarding schools forced assimilation (11/22)
Yellow Bird: The most terrifying snowstorm ever (11/16)
Yellow Bird: Feeling guilty about your new car (11/15)
Yellow Bird: Remembering my brother, a Vietnam vet (11/9)
Yellow Bird: Native voters make a difference (11/8)
Yellow Bird: Are the Pequots really a tribe? (11/2)
Yellow Bird: A story for Halloween night (11/1)
Yellow Bird: Cell phones now a part of rez life (10/25)
Yellow Bird: Tribal college leaders overlooked (10/19)
Yellow Bird: Let's settle dispute over Sakakawea (10/12)
Yellow Bird: Discovering the ancestral spirits (10/11)
Yellow Bird: Riding the rails across the country (10/4)
Yellow Bird: First visit to NMAI proves exciting (9/28)
Yellow Bird: Support the troops, but not the war (09/14)
Yellow Bird: Singing to myself about a new highway (9/13)
Yellow Bird: A Sasquatch story from the Nez Perce (9/7)
Yellow Bird: A worthwhile visit to Nez Perce relatives (9/6)
Yellow Bird: Students breathe life into community (8/30)
Yellow Bird: Family-run restaurants real jewels (8/25)
Yellow Bird: Indian athletes should strive for gold (8/23)
Yellow Bird: Not all Native people are conservative (8/23)
Yellow Bird: John Kerry's hands tell different story (8/16)
Yellow Bird: Indians becoming a force at the polls (08/03)
Yellow Bird: Ceremony provided needed respite (8/2)
Yellow Bird: A newbies guide to North Dakota Indians (07/12)
Yellow Bird: Are mourning doves on the Atkins diet? (7/6)
Yellow Bird: Off-reservation casino deserves chance (6/29)
Yellow Bird: Tribes should be models of government (6/28)
Yellow Bird: Rosalynn Carter a down-to-earth woman (6/22)
Yellow Bird: Program brings students to nature (6/21)
Yellow Bird: How low should those jeans go??? (6/15)
Yellow Bird: A world away at tribal pow-wow (6/14)
Yellow Bird: Reflecting on Civil Rights Act of 1964 (6/8)
Yellow Bird: Diversity, women welcome in government (6/7)
Yellow Bird: Bush made 'poor decisions' on Iraq war (06/02)
Yellow Bird: No outlet for North Dakota holy water (5/24)
Yellow Bird: First Lakota finishes UND nursing (5/18)
Yellow Bird: A goodbye to Friends and Frasier! (5/17)
Yellow Bird: Prisoner abuse recalls Indian massacre (5/11)
Yellow Bird: Mothers' distant memories still strong (5/10)
Yellow Bird: Foreigners more interested in Indians (5/4)
Yellow Bird: Tribes and media must work together (5/3)
Yellow Bird: Native people lost advocate in Elbers (4/27)
Yellow Bird: Think about Earth Day every day (4/26)
Yellow Bird: Strong flower like spirit of Native people (04/13)
Yellow Bird: Drum policy excluded local tribes (04/12)
Yellow Bird: The phenomenon of the 'hobby Indians' (04/06)
Yellow Bird: A tribute to the warrior women (4/5)
Yellow Bird: Indians the most misunderstood (3/31)
Yellow Bird: Keeping our ceremonies sacred (3/29)
Yellow Bird: Awakening for Native and Christian (3/23)
Yellow Bird: Saying goodbye, the Native way (3/16)
Yellow Bird: Human rights in North Dakota (3/15)
Yellow Bird: Hard to find Indian like Martha Stewart (3/9)
Yellow Bird: Is Big Foot wandering reservation? (3/8)
Yellow Bird: Sound of birds heralds arrival of spring (3/2)
Yellow Bird: Big market for 'isms' in the media (3/1)
Yellow Bird: Tribal justice program to bring good (2/24)
Yellow Bird: Indian perspective on Lewis & Clark (2/23)
Yellow Bird: In large family, sisters are special (2/18)
Yellow Bird: Atkins diet worked for Indian friends (2/16)
Yellow Bird: Big-city ballet in a Northern Plains town (2/10)
Yellow Bird: 'Fighting Sioux' is poor sportsmanship (2/9)
Yellow Bird: Lake outlet a tough sell for many (2/3)
Yellow Bird: The magic of the Spirit of the North (2/2)
Yellow Bird: Providing Indian education to public (1/26)
Yellow Bird: Long hair can be hazardous sometimes (1/20)
Yellow Bird: Remembering Grandmother Philomene (1/19)
Yellow Bird: Wild animals have a right to exist too (01/13)
Yellow Bird: Tribe has made incredible journey (1/12)
Yellow Bird: 'DreamKeepers' breaks stereotypes (01/07)