First off the article kind of glosses over a few of the facts here, “Archie Fool Bear, doesn’t have the full support of his tribe.” The members of the Standing Rock Tribe tried to have a referendum on UND’s use of the Fighting Sioux nickname and the “Tribal Council” failed to let their members have a vote, that's a lot different than saying Fool Bear doesn't have the full support of his tribe.
The Spirit Lake Members held a referendum and approved UND’s use of the Fighting Sioux nickname by a 67% margin. The Lawsuit against the NCAA is filed by member of both the Spirit Lake Tribe and the Standing Rock Tribe.
Bob Dorigo Jones, Daily Caller --- As Americans celebrate Thanksgiving and perhaps even consider how far our nation has come since the days when the Pilgrims relied on help from a Native American named Squanto to survive, a new lawsuit over whether a university should use an Indian nickname may have some people wondering just how far America has really advanced after all this time.
This is not, however, a story about a Native American tribe suing to stop a sports team from using its name. Surprisingly, it’s a story about a tribe that wants a local college to keep its Indian nickname, the Fighting Sioux.
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that one of the lead plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the college, Archie Fool Bear, doesn’t have the full support of his tribe. Some members of the tribe can’t bear the lawsuit and think it’s foolish to sue the university. They would rather spend the money now being spent on lawyers on more productive things that would improve the quality of life for the tribe.
Now, that’s an idea worth fighting for.
After finding out about this unfortunate situation, my first thought was, where is Squanto when we really need him? There are better ways to resolve this conflict than by litigating it.
Look, like I have said in the past, I love the Fighting Sioux nickname and I understand why it has to go. That being said, if a major publication is going to write an article about the Fighting Sioux nickname at least do some fact checking before you publish your article.
