"I have been paying attention to the University of North Dakota (UND) Fighting Sioux ordeal for over 10 years and I am becoming fatigued with every twist and turn those that wish to keep the name are now engaging. I attended the special North Dakota legislative session on Nov. 6, 2011 at the state capitol in Bismarck.

It is becoming painfully obvious that the majority of North Dakotans are unwilling to progress with respect to retiring the Sioux name. It seems a fair assessment, and completely asinine, that a significant portion of North Dakotans would choose to stick by the Fighting Sioux name when the practice of using Indians as nicknames/mascots is clearly out of time and place with the rest of the white-American-male-dominated glory days. Not only have a number of schools made it clear they will not play UND if it retains the name, there are a host of severely damaging consequences that UND will abide by if it wishes to further its athletic and national reputation by remaining a member of the NCAA. Those consequences include giving up the ability to host post-season games. The NCAA sanctions are not the only worries as other schools, including extremely important rivals such as Univ. of Minnesota and Wisconsin, have made it known they do not intend to play UND if it retains the name."

Get the Story:
Chase Iron Eyes: The Fighting Sioux Fight That Never Ends (Indian Country Today 11/23)