Opinion: History repeats itself on 'Fighting Sioux'

Monday, December 10, 2007  

"History is repeating itself in North Dakota.

American Indian people, through their tribal councils, have passed resolutions opposing UND's nickname and logo. They have spoken. Their reasons include the misappropriation of sacred spiritual images and practices at sporting events; the reduction of complex tribal, cultural and linguistic issues to a Hollywood stereotype; the attribution of violent images to Indian people by identifying them as “fighting”; and Indian women, men and children become invisible when their cultures are represented only by historical images of male warriors.

UND's nickname and logo ignores the reality that a Dakota/Lakota/Nakota person might have been the last physician one saw at a medical clinic or the clerk at the local supermarket or the teacher at a child's school. They likely were not wearing feathers or looking for a fight.

As I analyze the struggle facing UND, I am struck by how similar it is to the history of other civil or human rights movements such as voting rights for African-Americans, school integration or suffrage for women.

If one were to watch certain episodes of the award-winning “Eyes on the Prize,” a PBS series on the 1960s civil rights movement, the interviews with people resistant to social change mirror arguments made by UND administration and members of the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education, i.e., tradition is the moral justification for discrimination."

Get the Story:
Sudie Hofmann: Logo issue mirrors past events (The Grand Forks Herald 12/9)
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Relevant Links:
University of North Dakota - http://www.und.edu
The Ralph - http://www.theralph.com
Fighting Sioux - http://www.fightingsioux.com

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