A wealthy alumnus and benefactor paid for a statue of an Indian "warrior" to be installed at the University of North Dakota arena that bears his name. Photo by Elcajonfarms / Wikipedia
Lloyd Omdahl, a former lieutenant governor of North Dakota, is still upset that the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe didn't support the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo of the University of North Dakota:
We need only look at the way the Fighting Sioux logo issue was handled on Standing Rock. The chairman arbitrarily decided that he would not let the tribal members vote on the question. His decision killed the logo because without Standing Rock approval, the NCAA would not permit use of the logo. This autocratic decision was made after the Spirit Lake Sioux near Devils Lake voted 2-to-1 in favor of keeping the logo. It is obvious that the Standing Rock chairman blocked the vote because he felt that his constituents would vote to keep the logo if they had the chance to vote. This sort of autocratic action indicates a serious weakness in the rules of governance on reservations. Obviously, the tribal members who wanted to vote had no established course of action to overrule the decision of the chairman. Because there are no established rules of procedure, tribal members can become victimized by their leadership. Governing decisions can made without regard to fairness or merit. Too many decisions can be made at the whim of one or two people at the top.Get the Story:
Lloyd Omdahl: It’s Time to Look at Reservation Governance (The Pierce County Tribune 7/23)
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