VIEWPOINT: Nickname speaks to warriorship

There has been a lot of debate on wether UND should keep the Fighting Sioux name or not and I think this letter from a former UND student of Native American decent kind of sums it up pretty well.

After the pro nick name vote this past week at Spirit Lake Nation there was a few comments by a anti-nick name opponents that said the Native Americans that voted for the Fighting Sioux nick name just haven't been educated. (Article Cited) Well this person went to UND and he is proud of the Fighting Sioux logo and nick name.

CROOKSTON — UND should keep the Fighting Sioux name and logo, and the tribes should be proud to support the effort.

When I was a young man coming from Fort Yates, N.D., I was proud that the college I was going to attend had the name “Sioux.” I thought that spoke to the legacy of the Indian and his presence then and now, and I find the present-day logo to be much more positive than some of the caricatures I have seen in different tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs offices over the years.

The name Fighting Sioux, for me, speaks to the warriorship needed to make a place for one’s self in the modern world. Warriors are proud men and women whose primary responsibility is to the well-being and continuing existence of the people. Warriors fought elements, nature and, when necessary, other warriors to provide sustenance, shelter and safety to the camp.

I think we have a strong chance here to correct the movie image of the whooping, vengeful savage that so many people have. We have a chance to show the truth and strength of warrior spirit.

This logo is a respectful representation of a young warrior, one who is aware of his responsibilities as he looks to the future. And isn’t that the desired goal of the complete university experience?

I am sorry that former President Charles Kupchella and his passionate defense of the name left the university. I think the tribes need to step into the gap and fight for the right to exist in image and reality.

I find the political correctness of the current situation misguided, frustrating and harmful. What puzzles me most is the stance the two reservation councils have taken. I was raised by parents from the boarding-school days who were not allowed to speak their language at their school and were punished for being Indian by being made to kneel on broomsticks. Those parents raised me not to deny my heritage but to be proud of it and not let anyone to diminish my right to be here.

For centuries, we have been subjected to disease and killings and hidden away on reservations that could not sustain us. Let’s be honest: History shows the goal of the now dominant culture has been to rid the land of us. Even at the Minnesota Uprising, the goal was to “leave no Indian alive.”

My warrior grandfathers tried to ensure the continued proud existence of our culture and people. Chief Strike the Ree went to Washington to try to get fair treatment and establish an understanding of equality. Chief Rain in the Face used his fighting skills to keep settlers from entering the sacred Black Hills and fought to protect lands and people and culture at the Last Battle.

But remember our strong responsible leaders, Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull? Both were killed by Indian police sent by white officers of the U.S. Calvary. Now, we are being duped into doing it to ourselves again: Kill the image. Kill the name. Then nobody has to remember we exist as a strong, accomplished and modern people with a history to be proud of.

The rules of political correctness are just another pox-infested blanket being offered to help us wipe ourselves off the face of the Earth. It means nobody has to admit to eliminating the Indian because we took the blanket into our own hands.

When I see or hear the name Fighting Sioux, I smile. I smile because people are reminded every day of a people who refuse to give up and go away.

The only thing offensive here is how political correctness has stolen the fight out of the tribal councils.

Keep the name. Keep the logo. Keep the legacy.

Uken is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.