Sioux-cia

. Bye

Last time I did, I had to wait for the clerk to wait on the Native Americans who were in front of me in line. I had to wait a week to get a Sioux jersey in my son's size because they bought the last one. He got his b'day present a little late. No big deal. I'm not one to begrudge a Sioux Sioux fan a jersey.

Good thing he's spineless, now he can shake in his boots without hinderance.

Why not the Micks, Spics, Wops, Polacks, Bohunks, etc? Because those 'nicknames' were created to insult the ethnic groups to whom they refer. Your proud of the Sioux name, we're proud of the Sioux name. We're gonna keep it.

A very good friend of mine, tall, skinny, white kid of German decsent taught school on the reservation in Poplar, Mt. He loved his job and the kids he taught. The kids loved him. After two/three years he left teaching. He went into teaching so he could make a difference and discovered that he didn't. He told us he had many talented, intelligent students whom he believed could do well in a University setting. These students quit school because they didn't believe an education would give them anything more in life than they already had. Whose fault is that? Not Steve's, they had that mind set way before he met them. Not the University of North Dakota nor the Fighting Sioux. It was your fault. You didn't instill pride in those children through example, word nor deed. If you had, they would know there was more to life than what they already had. So before you ask for a free education, educate your children while they're still in diapers, still in grammer and high school. My mother, a third generation Mexican American (treated as if she just swam over the Rio Grande)came from a family of 14. Her parents died when she was only 8. The highest grade any of those relatives finished was the third grade. Of the 90+ off spring they had, 85% of us have college degrees. No hand outs, from parents or government, we paid for our own education. Even though we're 'Natives' of the America's, we've been subject to all the crap that 'real' Native 'America's have been subjected to. My Uncle Frank believed there were injustices that had to be made right. He belonged to the NAACP because back then there were no organizations for Hispanics, he marched in the Civil Rights movement, etc. etc. etc. My Ma raised us to believe that although there are people as good as we are, there's no one better. Do all you can to take care of your own before you ask some one else to fix your problems. Schools with Native American nicknames did not cause the inherent problems that exist, today, amongst the Native American population. Excuse me, while I climb off my soap box.

Wishy-washy, he's protecting that big salary of his. "The decision applies only to NCAA national championships." According to this quote, the decision should not affect the Regional playoffs. He sounds like he's trying to take the heat off the NCAA staff and put it all on the Executive committee "While I agree with and support the Executive Committee's decision, neither I nor any member of the NCAA staff had a vote. The decision was made by a dozen chancellors and presidents from all three membership divisions appointed to represent their institutions, their conferences and the values of higher education. There were no dissenting votes, either."

OK then, as a person of Mexican descent whose ancesters were pummeled by the Irish immigrants who were conscripted into the Army during the Mexican-American war, I want a refund!

I would agree to the free education portion of your compromise BUT with the same stipulation that I (a woman of Hispanic descent who paid for her own education through work and loans and as a result of my UND advanced degree earn a very nice income) have imposed on my children. I will pay for their education AFTER they have passed their classes with an acceptable, for them, grade (one of my children has a learning disability). As for renaming the buildings, no way. It was not a Native American who made the Aerospace program one, if not the, best in the world. That be John Odegard, baby!

Not according to this you don't--- "Traditionally when a Dakota/Nakota/Lakota person was asked by one of our own people

If there are no surviving Illini, why isn't the U of I getting the same exemption that the Aztecs (no surviving Aztecs) of San Diego were given by the NCAA?

1. The athlete who is known as a Fighing Sioux is a person with strenght in body and mind, a person who sacrifices to achieive and maintain this strenght, a person who in the face of adversity continues to do their best and more, a person who continues to give back to the community even when they leave it (Alum), a person who is there for their brothers and sisters (teammates), a person who is proud of being a Fighting Sioux in the face of insults, etc, a person who is a role model to the youth of the community who believe that the Fighting Sioux are the best in the world. How does this NOT honor the Sioux people? 2. A small Sioux tribe gave the University permission to use the name. Why do you not recognize their right to do so? Are they not Sioux with pride? Why are there so many Sioux children wearing Fighting Sioux shirts, hats, etc.? Do they not have Sioux pride? 3. There are Indian groups across the country that want schools to use their name, i.e. the Utes, the Seminoles, the Chippewa. Are their decisions wrong because they are not your decision. This country was founded by immigrants who were persecuted in the 'old country'. The Indians were persecuted by other Indians and then by the people who came to settle in the 'Americas'. History. We are now all Americans, you too. And we are all granted the right to free speech by the First Amendment.

I think they're beautiful and wish that a dancer was part of every hockey game instead of just a rare occurrence. Even though the dancers and drumers are Indian, the NCAA would likely find them offensive because not all Sioux tribes would be represented.

Correct me if I'm wrong. I've read so many articles re the name change that my brain is getting fussy. But I believe that one of the schools with an Indian name, I think it was Michigan or maybe Florida, has their athletes take a class with a Native American instructor. He teaches them about that tribes history, etc. I'm not saying our athletes should take such a course because I honestly believe that our athletes respect the name and would never treat the name in any manner remotely 'hostile or abusive'.

How about the Fighting Sues? Maybe not, lawyers or Susans might be offended?

Why are you surprised? This is a 1st Amendment issue. I'm surprised we haven't heard the ACLU defending the schools right to use what ever names they choose.

Sorry, I take it back. The idea of the University of North Dakota calling their athletic teams the Natchez would make as much sense as the University of Notre Dame calling their teams the Fighting Irish.

If it's going to take years of court hearings before the NCAA's definition of hostile and abusive is set in stone (I read that in a Q & A in one of the posted newspaper articles), why not get an injunction against the ruling until that's done?

So what you're saying is that the NCAA is ok with "insulting" the dead or extinct? So if a team were called the Natchez, the Yahi, the Timucua, etc. the NCAA would grant them an exemption?

Geeze! Sounds like the guy is still all pi$$ed off over losing the Nickle. And it sounds like he's got a big enough @#$% for the Bison to take shelter.

I thoroughly enjoyed the article. Thanks

I'm a bit confused as usual. Who will decide if a name or logo is offensive? And if Wisconsin is not going to schedule games with schools that have Indian logos/names, are we no longer going to play hockey at Wisconsin? If we're not, are they going to come and play at the REA?

I just checked with the seamstress at Home of Economy re the letters. She said she has the material that was used a while back to make the Sioux letters (twill) and she also might have some letters and numbers already made. I asked about the shade of green and she said it was the green they wore a 'while back'. Hope this helps.