The “hostile and abusive” nickname “Sioux” has been spotted again, in what would seem to be the most unlikely of places. As we’ve been told ad nauseum by opponents of the UND Fighting Sioux nickname, the term “Sioux” is a derogatory one given them by rival tribes and oppressive Europeans. So why have they adopted it? They even proclaim it on their website.

Here’s a quote from their website: ” The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe stands by its right to self-government as a sovereign nation, which includes taking a government-to-government stance with the states and federal government entities.” Okay, so why do THEY call themselves “Sioux” then? They’re obviously sovereign; they proudly declare that right. So quit calling yourselves “Sioux” and you’ve got nothing to complain about.

You want to talk about a quick and easy way to defuse this situation, this is it. First of all, the name “Sioux” obviously is too hurtful to be used to describe the tribe and should be discontinued immediately. Then, once that long-overdue change has been adopted by the tribes, they can cease worrying about the UND “Fighting Sioux” nickname; it will no longer apply to them. Let the healing begin.

This whole issue is a bunch of nonsense by a belligerent few with a chip on their shoulder, taking on a life of its own by the actions of a bunch of politically correct crusaders within the NCAA. Level heads must prevail.

That said, I direct you to this open letter to the NCAA by UND President Charles Kupchella, brought to my attention by my friend Shari. It sheds a lot of light on the situation.

So far UND has shown the only prudence in this situation. I hear on the radio that the NCAA doesn’t even talk directly to UND, simply issuing press releases to announce its decisions. I’ve also heard that Ron His-Horse-Is-Thunder, who on occasion claims to be a descendent of Sitting Bull, has dismissed members of tribal government who have declared support for the UND “Fighting Sioux” moniker. That type of behavior, in my humble opinion, constitutes both “hostile” and “abusive” in every sense of the words.

This UND Fighting Sioux nonsense is still dragging out, with the current leadership at Standing Rock voicing opposition to the “hostile” and “abusive” team name of the UND Fighting Sioux. This comes after members of the tribe have voiced their personal support and their tribe’s support, and tonight I even saw a photo on the news from when the school first adopted the Fighting Sioux nickname. Members of the tribe were present, proudly, adorned in ceremonial clothing. It was an honorable event.

I am not surprised at the change of climate, seeing how the tribal governments seem to have so much infighting and turnover. The current chairman, who claims at times to be a descendent of Sitting Bull, has called for the removal of another tribal leader who supports the nickname. While the reservations face epidemic suicide, meth and alcohol abuse, and sexually transmitted disease problems, they instead resort to fighting amongst themselves about a nickname they do or don’t like.

I’m willing to bet that most people who don’t like the UND Fighting Sioux nickname and are fighting for its demise have never set foot on a reservation. This is just more Political Correctness run amok. You want a target then, folks? Just let us make a few subtle tweaks to our mascot and then you can let your hatred fly:

This is my (poorly drawn due to haste) rendition of the logo for the UND Valiant White Men. We’re proud of our heritage and our perseverence as we, men and women of German, Norwegian, Slavic, and other descent made a home for ourselves here on the rugged Plains. To show our respect for such a hard-working people, we should honor them by choosing our team name/logo/mascot in their honor.

Of course, nothing could be more “hostile” and “abusive” to the PC crowd than a white guy. See, for so long it’s only been the Native American crowd, or at least vocal activists fighting in their name, who have been granted the ability to take potshots at the University which thought it was making a gesture of respect by choosing the name Fighting Sioux. This way, every minority can slap on their Victim uniform, march in unison, and rally against the evil aggressor, the oppressive white heterosexual Christian male. Join the fun, gang! It’s open season!

Personally, I agree with the people interviewed on the evening news tonight who said “let’s keep the nickname and the logo, and who cares if we host postseason play.” Tell the NCAA to get bent, kick butt in hockey, and fight for what we believe in.

You can read an excellent Letter to the Editor here.

And while we’re on the subject, maybe you would like to click here and see the DOZENS of programs that “hostile” and “abusive” University offers for Native American students. Recruitment programs. Retention programs. Incentives. Organizations. Publications. I have a friend who’s 100% Native American who went through the INMED program at UND, which helped him tremendously due to his race and afforded him opportunities he’d never have had otherwise. So let’s not make this the case of the Evil Big Bad University vs. the Poor Victimized Native Community. If the name and logo go, let’s pull the plug on these special favors with it! Sure, they do a lot of good and are worthy programs, but we don’t dare put the interests of one race ahead of any others…if that’s what we’re told we’re doing and must stop with the Fighting Sioux nickname, then certainly we can’t do it with something more important like higher education!