"I am surprised that another committee has been formed about UND’s “Fighting Sioux” nickname .?.?. but I guess I shouldn’t be.

I do have to ask, though, what can be accomplished when the Standing Rock Lakota Nation of Fort Yates, N.D., said they don’t want UND to use the nickname.

Didn’t the legal settlement with NCAA in October give the state three years to win approval of both tribes? Ron His Horse is Thunder, chairman of the Lakota, has firmly said the tribal council — the tribe’s governing body— has voted no on the nickname and put any referendum vote on hold.

The Spirit Lake Dakota of Ft. Totten, N.D., haven’t made a statement one way or the other, but they banned a reservationwide referendum on the issue, too.

So, you can see why I was confused when I read University System Chancellor Bill Goetz’s statement that “the committee would simply establish clearly the tribes’ positions and figure out what would happen next, whether it’s to retain the nickname or to switch to a new one”"

Get the Story:
COLUMNIST DORREEN YELLOW BIRD: Committee for Restating the Obvious (The Grand Forks Herald 1/17)

More Dorreen Yellow Bird:
Yellow Bird: Reviving the horse culture in the Plains (1/14)
Yellow Bird: Breast-feeding in public not indecent (1/12)
Yellow Bird: Two good resolutions for 2009 (1/5)
Yellow Bird: Staying on the holiday sidelines (12/30)
Yellow Bird: Tongue and other foods you don't eat (12/22)
Yellow Bird: Open doors beckon young children (12/17)
Yellow Bird: Fritz Scholder redefined Indian art (12/10)
Yellow Bird: Helping wildlife in North Dakota (12/8)
Yellow Bird: Thankful for family on Thanksgiving (11/26)
Yellow Bird: Whiteclay, a heartbreaking town (11/24)
Yellow Bird: Can't wait for delicious deer (11/17)
Yellow Bird: Racism doesn't end with Obama (11/13)
Yellow Bird: No smoking or drinking in casinos (11/10)
Yellow Bird: Grief the same among all cultures (11/6)
Yellow Bird: Turtle Mountain Band takes on abortion (11/3)
Yellow Bird: Negative ads poison Senate race (10/27)
Yellow Bird: North Dakota landscape impresses (10/22)
Yellow Bird: Feeling helpless about the economy (10/20)
Yellow Bird: Examine Native American Party (10/15)
Yellow Bird: Sen. Obama a presidential winner (10/13)