What's in a name? Everything. What's in a name for a sports team? Even more. The University of North Dakota's athletic teams use the name 'The Fighting Sioux' and has been met with controversy over and over again. While there is one side defending the name saying that it honors the Sioux people, the other side says that it is demeaning because they are a people and not a mascot. The word 'fighting' has been dropped and then picked back up again. Then dropped. Then picked back up. Back and forth, back and forth. In fact, Sioux tribes are even split with some bands having voted to allow UND to keep the name and other bands voting for them to change it. In order for the name to be changed, the majority of the Sioux tribes and bands have to vote to change the mascot.
I went to Central Michigan University for college where the mascot is the 'Chippewas'. There was some controversy with the name and the helmets of the football team because they had a spear about thirty or forty years ago. They changed the helmets and all was well. CMU works closely with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe and the tribe supports the college nickname and it has to do with that good working relationship the school and tribe have. In fact, several years ago a member of the tribe was a starter on the football team and considered it an honor to play on a team that used the Chippewa name. It has to do with the fact that they don't have the spear on the helmet, or a stereotypical white frat boy dressed up as an Indian chief. In the end, work closely with those you wish to adorn as a mascot and all will be well. Stay away from stereotyping the mascot and you will look like the good guys.
For me, the main issue here with UND is the word 'fighting'. Now, most people will point to the 'Fighting Irish' and say that Irish people don't have a problem with that, but what if it were the 'Drunken Irish'? How would the the Irish feel about that? The word 'fighting' indicates to me that this is how the majority of people view the Sioux people. While historically they are seen as an aggressive tribe and fought the westward expansion and the people taking their land, you cannot tell me that it is okay to take that and use it as part of a mascot name. Hell, I'd be aggressive towards people who are trying to take my land and place me on a reservation too. And it's not like their people were ever massacred or anything like that. While the name 'fighting Sioux' is on the border of being outright offensive, it is not even close to being the Redskins. That team right there is the worst offender of offensive names. There is also the Braves and the Indians in professional sports, and while they have been met with some controversy for other things, their names to me aren't as bad as Redskins.
They do have an Indian head on their hockey jerseys which is also under scrutiny because it is seen as offensive by some. Looking at the jerseys, it isn't as offensive to me as the Cleveland Indians' mascot that they have on their hats and jerseys. In fact, it was designed by a member of a Chippewa tribe based in North Dakota. So there's that.
In the end, it is not tough to say who is right and who is wrong in this situation. If UND wants the scrutiny to go away, it is not very difficult to take a name away. I would think that if they dropped the word 'fighting' and just kept the word 'Sioux' most of these issues would go away. Personally, I think that if a team, professional or otherwise, is going to consider using a people for their mascot they need to work very closely with them and get the approval before moving forward with the name. I would suggest that UND just drop the name and go with something that is linked with the state of North Dakota, but it's North Dakota. They don't have a lot to go on.
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