Indian lawmaker pushes for defeat of bill to save 'Fighting Sioux'

North Dakota Sen. Richard Marcellais (D), a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, is leading the fight against a bill to revive the "Fighting Sioux" nickname and logo at the University of North Dakota.

Marcellais sits on the Senate Education Committee. He made the motion for the committee to reject the bill on Tuesday and he'll present the recommendation to the full Senate sometime next week.

"When you looked at all five entities involved, they were all against it except Spirit Lake," Marcellais said at a hearing, The Bismarck Tribune reported. Members of the Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation support the name but other tribes in the state do not.

Marcellais is a former chairman of his tribe.

Get the Story:
Chippewa also divided over Fighting Sioux nickname (The Grand Forks Herald 3/10)
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Fighting Sioux e-mails flood state senators (The Grand Forks Herald 3/10)

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