Grand Forks Herald: Fighting Sioux supporters still fighting

This past week, a group of Native American from the Standing Rock and Spirit Lake Tribes started a new social media campaign. UND is transitioning away from the Fighting Sioux nickname and is currently in the process of picking a new one.

Anna Burleson , Grand Forks Herald -- Supporters of UND's former Fighting Sioux nickname have begun a social media campaign to revive the name.

A video titled "The Sioux Were Silenced" was posted to YouTube Monday, starring Eunice and David Davidson, two avid and vocal supporters of the old name which was retired in late 2012 after a long legal battle involving the NCAA, lawmakers, university donors and the State Board of Higher Education.

"We believe there was an agenda by certain leaders in the state to rid the University of North Dakota of the Fighting Sioux name and make sure the Sioux people receive the blame," David Davidson said in the video.

Eunice Davidson also penned the book "Aren't We Sioux Enough?" that chronicles the eventual retirement of the name.

Currently, UND is gathering new nickname suggestions from the public with the intent to hold a public vote to choose a permanent nickname. The school has been playing simply as "UND/North Dakota" since the Fighting Sioux logo was retired and there is a possibility of keeping that as a permanent name as well

. This same story has also been posted on the WDAZ site as well.

A second video was released Tuesday about the name granting ceremonies featuring two Standing Rock tribal members Archie Foolbear and Robert Gates and Spirit Lake Tribe member John Chaske. The two daughters of the tribal official involved in a 1969 name granting ceremony also speak on the topic.

In the introduction video, the Davidsons also blame the Grand Forks Herald and The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, both owned by Forum Communications Co., for printing slanted articles against the old nickname.

"Since we started this fight we have seen the media, largely controlled by one entity, put out a completely one-sided message," Eunice Davidson said in the video. "Well in today's world, we don't have to rely on traditional media to get the truth out. We want to tell you what really happened from the Sioux's perspective through social media."

A Facebook page has also been created for the cause that as of noon Thursday had 7,494 likes.