NCAA Meeting About Fighting Sioux Nickname To Include Everyone But Actual Sioux Indians

Tweet

Written By:
Rob Port

Jun 29, 2011
4:24pm

Yesterday PlainsDaily.com reported on the NCAA meeting set for July 25th in Indianapolis. Today the Grand Forks Herald is on the story, and one of the quotes from an official that will be taking part in what they’re calling the “spectrum of hope” cracked me up:

Gov. Jack Dalrymple will lead a North Dakota delegation to Indianapolis on July 25 to meet with leaders of the NCAA, hoping to persuade the athletics association to alter its stance regarding UND and the Fighting Sioux nickname.

“Everybody is in,” said Grant Shaft, who as president of the State Board of Higher Education will join Dalrymple, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, House Majority Leader Al Carlson, R-Fargo, and others at the long-anticipated face-to-face meeting.

The group also will include Senate Majority Leader Bob Stenehjem, R-Bismarck, UND President Robert Kelley and Athletic Director Brian Faison, North Dakota University System Chancellor William Goetz and Jody Hodgson, general manager of the Ralph Engelstad Arena.

“The governor will be the leader of the contingent,” Shaft said, “and he and Carlson will be the primary players at the table. The rest of us will be a supporting cast, there if we’re needed to answer questions.”

Everybody is in…except for the actual Sioux Indians. The Standing Rock tribe has largely tabled the Sioux issue, but the Sioux tribe on the Spirit Lake reservation overwhelmingly passed a resolution in favor of the nickname and have been begging for a seat at the table in the nickname debate for some time now. But they’re not invited.

Which leaves us with a rather ironic reality. We have a bunch of lily-white politicians and higher ed officials going down to Indianapolis to meet with a bunch of NCAA officials to decide what does and does not insult a bunch of Indians who weren’t even invited to the meeting.

The absurdity would make me laugh if it weren’t so pathetic.