Dakota Hoksina

Guest Author Stuart Rieke talked about arrogance and inter-racial marriage

2012-01-08T19:19:49Z

I spent some time over New Years with a man named Dr. Erich Longie, a Dakota man from the Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota. Erich is a tall man of basketball-player proportions, about 6 foot 2, (actually I'm 5'11" I just appear bigger to white people. EL) has long graying hair, and a very pronounced limp to his walk. Erich runs a consulting firm in North Dakota. His presence is very calming and he speaks softly and with Malcolm X-like logic. He also speaks with the kind of honesty and disclosure that invites respect. Even the very young relate to and listen to Dr. Longie.

My 5-year-old son was with us part of the time and later, apart from me; he whispered Erich's name and official title while going to sleep. My wife heard our son say gently: "Dr. Longie. He's the coolest Doctor." Erich's doctorate is in educational leadership so my son knew that he was not the kind of hated doctor who takes temperatures, tests reflexes and gives dreaded shots with long needles.

Myself being non-Native but being married to a Native woman, I relish chances to speak to Dr. Longie, as he is an elder in the Spirit Lake community. Over the course of a few days, we covered a number of serious topics, very personal topics, some concerning my marriage into the Indian community. I won't share all of these topics with you. Some of Erik's opinions, about my marriage's chances of flourishing and surviving, were very tough for me to hear; some of them were indeed devastating pronouncements, predictions of great difficulty, or judgments based on a perspective of cultural knowledge that took time to digest for me.

You see, Erich met me some time before my marriage started, and as he knew me, I was a very typical, mainstream, so-called dominant culture college student of so-called middle-class Anglo origin. I held myself in high regard. Perhaps Erik saw the crippling arrogance, which I unconsciously showed in the way I had once held myself. This arrogance was a trait far from the normal ways of the Chippewa Culture into which I was soon to marry. This arrogance seemed to Erich typical of a young Non-Native, but very un-likely to exist in the persona of a youthful person able to successfully wend his ways towards a culture like an American Indian's.

Arrogance must break many a marriage. A white man is not going to last in a red culture if he is arrogant. He will degrade himself, his family, and his new community. Self-assurance, pride, and confidence in one's abilities are necessary. But arrogance does not work well with a society where humility is a central, core virtue.

I knew this before Dr. Longie opened this to me. It was evident in many conflicts I had had with my wife, in many situations where I felt uncomfortable, and in many private thoughts that I have had to hide across years of agonizing secret turmoil. Arrogance has haunted me like a ghost. It haunts me as you see me stand before you.

But after one revealing talk with Dr. Longie, I became reflective and drew strength from these reflective thoughts. I reflected on a particular family member, a young man who is my wife's nephew, her brother Jeff's son. This young man's name is Mike. Mike is a young Chippewa man who has known some trouble in his life, but who has always remained humble through these tough times. I have never known Mike to be arrogant. Mike has taught me a lot just by being in his presence. With kids, Mike's true genius is shown. I see Mike's humble genius in the workings of his hands, the way he holds, lifts, cradles, plays, pushes and hugs kids. Mike always has a funny comment to make in a timely way - but, again, I see his true humor, personality, grace and joy by watching his two hands. It's hard to describe, but it's almost like his ancestors, especially his grandmother, my wife's mother who I never knew and who has gone to the Spirit World, is in the workings of Mike's hands when he holds kids. Mike's ancestors must have been beautiful people. Their ways are in Mike's hands' moves.

I find myself imitating Mike's abilities with kids, especially with my wife and my adopted son Hunter, the boy of all of our dreams, the spiritual presence, the beautiful brat, the gifted goof-ball: a 5 year old boy. He is my adopted son. He is Mike's biological son. Hunter, my adopted son, is, in actuality, Mike's son. Hunter knows me as "da-da." Mike is "Daddy Mike."

It has taken humility for me to accept that we are all raising Hunter, that Hunter needs his relationship with all the adults in his life, and that I may not know best in all situations. And as I grow within the beauty of an Indian community, my borrowed, unwanted arrogance will fade.

Dr. Longie's words humbled me. Actually, they scared the crap out of me. Why? Because I knew they were true. But I also know that I need to listen to Dr. Longie because he had a profound effect on my 5-year old. "Mr. Longie," Hunter whispered as he fell to sleep. "He's the best doctor," whispered my son. It has to be true.

Entering or contacting a new culture is difficult. Those virtues you have in one culture may be vices within another. But, my advice is, listen to the words of some people and watch the hands of others. You might find medicine in your observations, in your dreams of crossing over intact and in love.

Spirit Lake Special General Assembly

2011-12-04T04:33:01Z

From what I gather, there are enough of us Spirit Lake Tribal Members who want the Woodlake tribal council representative to step down due to his having been convicted of a sexual assault (misdemeanor). As a result, a Special General Assembly is scheduled on Monday to bring the issue before the people for discussion.

There is nothing in our tribal Constitution that addresses misdemeanor sexual crimes and/or convictions. A councilman or woman has to be convicted of a felony while in office before they can be forced to step down. This is probably why the Woodlake rep hasn't stepped down although he has been asked to.

And, I'm sure this is the reason many of his friends, relatives and even some of his constituents feel that it is not anybody's business but theirs if they want him to continue to serve as their councilman even after his sexual assault conviction became public. After all, they probably reason, it's a misdemeanor not a felony.

However, there is a difference between what is morally right and what is legally right. And, as Dakota people we know that many times what is morally right is more important than what is legally right.

It is this knowledge of what is moral and immoral, that is putting us tribal members who are not from the Woodlake district in this (moral) dilemma: We do not want someone who was convicted of a misdemeanor sex offense to represent our tribe, yet we respect the fact that it should be up to the people of Woodlake District to have him resign.

Or, does our unease regarding the morality of the Wood Lake District rep's conviction of sexual assault allow us to trump the rights of the people who reside in Wood Lake? They want to have who they want to represent them regardless of his conduct. And we want to remove him from office.

My answer is yes. I believe the Woodlake Representative's conduct that resulted in his conviction rises to a level of immorality that the decision whether or not he should remain in office should not be left just to Woodlake. Instead I believe that all Districts should have a say in whether or not he stays if office or he steps down. Here are my reasons:

1. Although we lose sight of it, one of the primary functions of political leaders is to be role models for the young people in our communities. It is my belief this representative has failed in this. We should not allow a man who hurt women and/or children lead our people because men in our culture hold women and children sacred.

2. Is his misdemeanor a signpost as to who he really is? This is a valid concern, as many people believe sex offenders have a different moral compass than the rest of us. Therefore, we need to ask ourselves these questions: Has he performed his job in an exemplary manner? Has he earned the respect and trust of all tribal members, not just his friends and relatives from his district?

3. We need to know the specifics of his conduct that led to his conviction. Was his conduct morally revolting enough so that people who voted for him would not have done so had they known of his conviction? At the minimum, he needs to come clean; at the upcoming meeting he should tell what happened that resulted in his conviction.

4. In my opinion, he committed fraud to win the election. If my memory serves me right he won by an extremely narrow margin. How many voters would not have voted for him had they known of his sexual assault conviction? I would be willing to go out on a limb and say he would not have won the election had voters known about his conviction.

5. He is bringing shame to the Spirit Lake Nation, as he is not only representing Woodlake District but all Spirit Lakers when he travels. Can you imagine what people will think of us when they learn one of our council members was convicted of sexual assault? One SL elder winyan said to me "OMG, he needs to be out, it's embarrassing! Even stealing is better than sexual assault."

6. Finally, what kind of message are we sending to our women when a man can abuse them and then be held in high esteem by holding office in the community?

I understand there will be individuals who will want him to remain in his position. However, I am sure those reasons are mainly of a selfish nature. They probably are expecting favors or some other preferential treatment from him, which is why they will continue to support him. However, it is time for the rest of us tribal members to hold our tribal council members to high standards. If we would hold them to high standards, we would be making one more step to better government. And, this is a good start.

In closing, one thing is certain this controversy will not go away if the Woodlake rep does not step down. It will continue to dog the Woodlake Rep and the Tribal Council diminishing their effectiveness and their reputation. Therefore, I call on our Tribal Chairman and the rest of the tribal council members to join with the majority of us tribal members and publicly call for the Woodlake rep to resign. Without this sordid incident hanging over their heads, the tribal council will be able to move for forward and conduct business with one less distraction.

The Real Thanksgiving

2011-11-22T06:21:25Z

Quoted from: The Hidden History of Massachusetts

Much of America's understanding of the early relationship between the Indian and the European is conveyed through the story of Thanksgiving. Proclaimed a holiday in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln, this fairy tale of a feast was allowed to exist in the American imagination pretty much untouched until 1970, the 350th anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims. That is when Frank B. James, president of the Federated Eastern Indian League, prepared a speech for a Plymouth banquet that exposed the Pilgrims for having committed, among other crimes, the robbery of the graves of the Wampanoags. He wrote:

"We welcomed you, the white man, with open arms, little knowing that it was the beginning of the end; that before 50 years were to pass, the Wampanoag would no longer be a free people."

But white Massachusetts officials told him he could not deliver such a speech and offered to write him another. Instead, James declined to speak, and on Thanksgiving Day hundreds of Indians from around the country came to protest. It was the first National Day of Mourning, a day to mark the losses Native Americans suffered as the early settlers prospered. This true story of "Thanksgiving" is what whites did not want Mr. James to tell.

What Really Happened in Plymouth in 1621?
According to a single-paragraph account in the writings of one Pilgrim, a harvest feast did take place in Plymouth in 1621, probably in mid-October, but the Indians who attended were not even invited. Though it later became known as "Thanksgiving," the Pilgrims never called it that. And amidst the imagery of a picnic of interracial harmony is some of the most terrifying bloodshed in New World history.

The Pilgrim crop had failed miserably that year, but the agricultural expertise of the Indians had produced twenty acres of corn, without which the Pilgrims would have surely perished. The Indians often brought food to the Pilgrims, who came from England ridiculously unprepared to survive and hence relied almost exclusively on handouts from the overly generous Indians-thus making the Pilgrims the western hemisphere's first class of welfare recipients. The Pilgrims invited the Indian sachem Massasoit to their feast, and it was Massasoit, engaging in the tribal tradition of equal sharing, who then invited ninety or more of his Indian brothers and sisters-to the annoyance of the 50 or so ungrateful Europeans. No turkey, cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie was served; they likely ate duck or geese and the venison from the 5 deer brought by Massasoit. In fact, most, if notall, of the food was most likely brought and prepared by the Indians, whose 10,000-year familiarity with the cuisine of the region had kept the whites alive up to that point.

The Pilgrims wore no black hats or buckled shoes-these were the silly inventions of artists hundreds of years since that time. These lower-class Englishmen wore brightly colored clothing, with one of their church leaders recording among his possessions "1 paire of greene drawers." Contrary to the fabricated lore of storytellers generations since, no Pilgrims prayed at the meal, and the supposed good cheer and fellowship must have dissipated quickly once the Pilgrims brandished their weaponry in a primitive display of intimidation. What's more, the Pilgrims consumed a good deal of home brew. In fact, each Pilgrim drank at least a half gallon of beer a day, which they preferred even to water. This daily inebriation led their governor, William Bradford, to comment on his people's "notorious sin," which included their "drunkenness and uncleanliness" and rampant "sodomy"...

The Pilgrims of Plymouth, The Original Scalpers
Contrary to popular mythology the Pilgrims were no friends to the local Indians. They were engaged in a ruthless war of extermination against their hosts, even as they falsely posed as friends. Just days before the alleged Thanksgiving love-fest, a company of Pilgrims led by Myles Standish actively sought to chop off the head of a local chief. They deliberately caused a rivalry between two friendly Indians, pitting one against the other in an attempt to obtain "better intelligence and make them both more diligent." An 11-foot-high wall was erected around the entire settlement for the purpose of keeping the Indians out.

Any Indian who came within the vicinity of the Pilgrim settlement was subject to robbery, enslavement, or even murder. The Pilgrims further advertised their evil intentions and white racial hostility, when they mounted five cannons on a hill around their settlement, constructed a platform for artillery, and then organized their soldiers into four companies-all in preparation for the military destruction of their friends the Indians.
Pilgrim Myles Standish eventually got his bloody prize. He went to the Indians, pretended to be a trader, then beheaded an Indian man named Wituwamat. He brought the head to Plymouth, where it was displayed on a wooden spike for many years, according to Gary B. Nash, "as a symbol of white power." Standish had the Indian man's young brother hanged from the rafters for good measure. From that time on, the whites were known to the Indians of Massachusetts by the name "Wotowquenange," which in their tongue meant cutthroats and stabbers.

Who Were the "Savages"?
The myth of the fierce, ruthless Indian savage lusting after the blood of innocent Europeans must be vigorously dispelled at this point. In actuality, the historical record shows that the very opposite was true.

Once the European settlements stabilized, the whites turned on their hosts in a brutal way. The once amicable relationship was breeched again and again by the whites, who lusted over the riches of Indian land. A combination of the Pilgrims' demonization of the Indians, the concocted mythology of Eurocentric historians, and standard Hollywood propaganda has served to paint the gentle Indian as a tomahawk-swinging savage endlessly on the warpath, lusting for the blood of the God-fearing whites.

But the Pilgrims' own testimony obliterates that fallacy. The Indians engaged each other in military contests from time to time, but the causes of "war," the methods, and the resulting damage differed profoundly from the European variety:

o Indian "wars" were largely symbolic and were about honor, not about territory or extermination.

o "Wars" were fought as domestic correction for a specific act and were ended when correction was achieved. Such action might better be described as internal policing. The conquest or destruction of whole territories was a European concept.

o Indian "wars" were often engaged in by family groups, not by whole tribal groups, and would involve only the family members.

o A lengthy negotiation was engaged in between the aggrieved parties before escalation to physical confrontation would be sanctioned. Surprise attacks were unknown to the Indians.

o It was regarded as evidence of bravery for a man to go into "battle" carrying no weapon that would do any harm at a distance-not even bows and arrows. The bravest act in war in some Indian cultures was to touch their adversary and escape before he could do physical harm.

o The targeting of non-combatants like women, children, and the elderly was never contemplated. Indians expressed shock and repugnance when the Europeans told, and then showed, them that they considered women and children fair game in their style of warfare.

o A major Indian "war" might end with less than a dozen casualties on both sides. Often, when the arrows had been expended the "war" would be halted. The European practice of wiping out whole nations in bloody massacres was incomprehensible to the Indian.

According to one scholar, "The most notable feature of Indian warfare was its relative innocuity." European observers of Indian wars often expressed surprise at how little harm they actually inflicted. "Their wars are far less bloody and devouring than the cruel wars of Europe," commented settler Roger Williams in 1643. Even Puritan warmonger and professional soldier Capt. John Mason scoffed at Indian warfare: "[Their] feeble manner...did hardly deserve the name of fighting." Fellow warmonger John Underhill spoke of the Narragansetts, after having spent a day "burning and spoiling" their country: "no Indians would come near us, but run from us, as the deer from the dogs." He concluded that the Indians might fight seven years and not kill seven men. Their fighting style, he wrote, "is more for pastime, than to conquer and subdue enemies."

All this describes a people for whom war is a deeply regrettable last resort. An agrarian people, the American Indians had devised a civilization that provided dozens of options all designed to avoid conflict--the very opposite of Europeans, for whom all-out war, a ferocious bloodlust, and systematic genocide are their apparent life force. Thomas Jefferson--who himself advocated the physical extermination of the American Indian--said of Europe, "They [Europeans] are nations of eternal war. All their energies are expended in the destruction of labor, property and lives of their people."

Puritan Holocaust
By the mid 1630s, a new group of 700 even holier Europeans calling themselves Puritans had arrived on 11 ships and settled in Boston-which only served to accelerate the brutality against the Indians.

In one incident around 1637, a force of whites trapped some seven hundred Pequot Indians, mostly women, children, and the elderly, near the mouth of the Mystic River. Englishman John Mason attacked the Indian camp with "fire, sword, blunderbuss, and tomahawk." Only a handful escaped and few prisoners were taken-to the apparent delight of the Europeans:

To see them frying in the fire, and the streams of their blood quenching the same, and the stench was horrible; but the victory seemed a sweet sacrifice, and they gave praise thereof to God.

This event marked the first actual Thanksgiving. In just 10 years 12,000 whites had invaded New England, and as their numbers grew they pressed for all-out extermination of the Indian. Euro-diseases had reduced the population of the Massachusett nation from over 24,000 to less than 750; meanwhile, the number of European settlers in Massachusetts rose to more than 20,000 by 1646.

By 1675, the Massachusetts Englishmen were in a full-scale war with the great Indian chief of the Wampanoags, Metacomet. Renamed "King Philip" by the white man, Metacomet watched the steady erosion of the lifestyle and culture of his people as European-imposed laws and values engulfed them.

In 1671, the white man had ordered Metacomet to come to Plymouth to enforce upon him a new treaty, which included the humiliating rule that he could no longer sell his own land without prior approval from whites. They also demanded that he turn in his community's firearms. Marked for extermination by the merciless power of a distant king and his ruthless subjects, Metacomet retaliated in 1675 with raids on several isolated frontier towns. Eventually, the Indians attacked 52 of the 90 New England towns, destroying 13 of them. The Englishmen ultimately regrouped, and after much bloodletting defeated the great Indian nation, just half a century after their arrival on Massachusetts soil. Historian Douglas Edward Leach describes the bitter end:

The ruthless executions, the cruel sentences...were all aimed at the same goal-unchallengeable white supremacy in southern New England. That the program succeeded is convincingly demonstrated by the almost complete docility of the local native ever since.

When Captain Benjamin Church tracked down and murdered Metacomet in 1676, his body was quartered and parts were "left for the wolves." The great Indian chief's hands were cut off and sent to Boston and his head went to Plymouth, where it was set upon a pole on the real first "day of public Thanksgiving for the beginning of revenge upon the enemy." Metacomet's nine-year-old son was destined for execution because, the whites reasoned, the offspring of the devil must pay for the sins of their father. The child was instead shipped to the Caribbean to spend his life in slavery.

As the Holocaust continued, several official Thanksgiving Days were proclaimed. Governor Joseph Dudley declared in 1704 a "General Thanksgiving"-not in celebration of the brotherhood of man-but for [God's] infinite Goodness to extend His Favors...In defeating and disappointing... the Expeditions of the Enemy [Indians] against us, And the good Success given us against them, by delivering so many of them into our hands...

Just two years later one could reap a ££50 reward in Massachusetts for the scalp of an Indian-demonstrating that the practice of scalping was a European tradition. According to one scholar, "Hunting redskins became...a popular sport in New England, especially since prisoners were worth good money..."

Below is a letter written by a direct descendant of Myles Standish after he read The Real Thanksgiving:

Dear Dr. Paul:

Thank you for posting that article about the Real Thanksgiving, and the role of Myles Standish in early Plymouth. I am a descendent of Standish and it has been my goal to understand him and the events concerning him in a deeper way. I want to know ALL the history. I've read the WASP approved version and it's good to see the other versions coming to light.

I work very closely with my ancestors and live my life to redeem their blood. A better knowing of the results of their actions helps in two ways; it clears the propaganda and glamour from my eyes and it inspires me to be a better person in my daily decisions and living. It also teaches me history. Which I wasn't very good at in high school. Now it has a whole new meaning as I think about my ancestors living in those times and places. My nieces and nephews will learn the truth from me. And their children too.

For what its worth, I apologise for my grandfathers actions. Indeed all my ancestors.

Respectfully and sincerely,
Clarence Standish, IV

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Open Letter to Spirit Lake Tribal Council

2011-11-04T21:21:04Z

November 3, 2011

Spirit Lake Tribal Council

Spirit Lake Nation

Fort Totten, ND 58335

Honorable Spirit Lake Tribal Councilmembers,

Dakotas are pretty much a live and let live people. Although we had serious concerns when you granted unlimited, unsupervised authority to the Committee for Understanding Respect we didn't say much. Why? Because we knew the Committee had already lost their fight to keep the name in the ND Supreme court. And Standing Rock's refusal to let SBHE use our name pretty much ended our involvement in the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo fight. We were content to let the SBHE and ND legislature fight over it.

However, the actions taken by the Committee since your decision to give them unlimited authority to raise and spend money on our behalf has been extreme and does not accurately reflect our culture, history and traditions of our tribe.

As a result we (tribal member) are taking around a petition that we hope will result in the people invoking the authority you have bestowed on the Committee. We are well on the way to collecting the required number of signatures needed to force a referendum on the issue.

However, we would prefer not to have the tribe go through a very costly, very public referendum that will promote vicious infighting among tribal members. This in turn will surely bring more shame and ridicule on our tribe.

Therefore, we respectfully request you (tribal council) take it upon your selves to rescind the resolution that gave the Committee unlimited authority. This would bring about an immediate resolution to this crisis.

We have very good reasons for making this request. Reasons that were not made public before. But, now due to the circumstances, we are forced to air them:

1. Representatives of the tribe in a ten million dollar lawsuit should have exemplary character: At least two members of the Committee have been involved and/or convicted of stealing money from Spirit Lake tribe or, from the US government. At least one has served prison time. Another close supporter and speaker for the committee at public event have also been convicted of a crime regarding tribal funds.

2. The tribal council is duly elected to represent us in local, state and federal issues. One of the qualifications to become a tribal council member is not to have been convicted of a felony.

3. How do we know the committee is not misusing funds that they have raised thus far? With a history of fiscal irresponsibly by several of its member this is a real and grave concern among us tribal members. If some funds they raised are misappropriated it will be our tribe that will have to pay them back.

4. The Committee appeared to take the authority to say and do whatever they want. This arrogance has now been directed towards fellow tribal member. Tribal members were denied their rights to speak at press conference called by the Committee and tribal council. One person close to the committee accused a tribal member who spoke at the conference as "half breed".

5. One member of the committee was not raised on the reservation. He moved here approximately 15 years ago. He does not know the history of our tribe. Therefore, he is disingenuous when he speaks about our culture and history. He does not speak for our ancestors. And he keeps repeating we "gave" UND the name as a gift. This is an outright falsehood. We who were born and raised here on Spirit Lake know our parents and grand parents never gave UND anything.

6. NCAA's policies are not an attack on our culture or our way of life. We were here long before NCAA and we will be here long after NCAA.

7. Both UND/SBHE have said repeatedly they want to retire the name. Why are we forcing something on them they no longer want? That is not the Dakota way.

8. As a tribe, we don't even call our self "Sioux" anymore. In 1996 there was a referendum in which the people voted to change our name from the Devils Lake Sioux Indian Reservations to Spirit Lake Nation.

9. We respect the Committee's dedication to keeping the name, but they do not have to drag the entire tribal membership into their fight.

To use the Committee's logic that we gave our name as a gift to UND, let me close with this story that demonstrates how foolish carrying on the fight over a logo has become:

Dear Committee for Understanding and Respect,

Years ago your people generously gave me a jacket; it was fashionable then and I thanked you for it. I wore it many times, but it is now worn out and stained. Moreover, times have changed, and it is no longer fashionable. You know, not everyone liked the jacket. I was often denigrated and ridiculed when I wore it. I realize you take pride in that jacket and that some of you felt honored when I wore it, but please understand I am not going to wear it any longer. I'm sorry if some of you feel hurt and angry with this, but really, it is my jacket, it is my choice, and you have no say in what I wear.

What? You've hired lawyers to try to make me wear that jacket! You got to be kidding! What judge would concede to wearing an outdated, outmoded jacket that even he will find offensive? Save your money! Thank you.

Respectfully,

Erich Longie,

(On behalf of Spirit Lake tribal members who are opposed to the Committee for understanding and Respect)

An Open Message to Grant Shaft, President SBHE from Eleven (and counting) Spirit Lake Tribal Members)

2011-10-16T16:49:02Z

October 14, 2011

North Dakota University System
10th Floor, State Capitol
600 East Boulevard Ave, Dept. 215
Bismarck, ND 58505-0230

Mr. Grant Shaft,

We, the signatories of this letter (Spirit Lake tribal members) speak on behalf of the three 300+ tribal members who want to see the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo retired.

Over 300 hundred Spirit Lake tribal members voted against UND's continued use of the Sioux name. We believe that number has now grown, possibly doubled since the referendum on the name.

We do not agree with and we are embarrassed by the threats our fellow tribal members are making on behalf of the Spirit Lake Nation. The Committee for Understanding and Respect's indiscriminate threats neither increase understanding or respect for our Dakota way of life nor do they speak for the hundreds of Spirit Lake tribal members who want to see the name retired.

Our (Sioux) traditional values are courage, honesty, generosity, respect, and perseverance. The value of generosity is most apparent in our traditional giveaways and ceremonies. Gifts are freely given with no strings attached with the understanding that the recipient will use the gift as needed. For example, a person is gifted a horse and he/she can now use or even sell the horse without consulting the person who provided the gift. After all, the horse now belongs to the new owner. We have never witnessed or heard of a Sioux who follows our traditional values provide a gift to someone and then try to direct how they use their gift.

We understand our (Sioux) way of giving may be different from another's way of giving and we respect cultural differences. For example, the Ralph Englestad Arena was "given" to UND, yet ownership and management are controlled by the Ralph Englestad Foundation rather than the University of North Dakota (UND). We do not understand that type of giving, but if that's their way, that's their way.

For arguments sake, let us say there was a legitimate pipe ceremony by Standing Rock's ancestors giving the "Sioux" name to UND. The ceremony and the "gift" of a name would fall under cultural norms as I have previously explained. This would mean that a Sioux who lives according to the above traditional values would NOT intercede if UND decided to retire or give the name away. No true traditional Sioux would dream of not respecting the pipe that was used when the ceremony was conducted.

In closing, we can't think of a reason why the SBHE would need permission to retire the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo from anyone considering the ND Supreme court ruling in the SBHE's favor [Davidson v. State (2010)]. However, just in case, the SBHE is seeking permission to retire the name we say this: for what it's worth, on behalf of the hundreds of Spirit Lakers, on behalf of the thousands of Sioux, and on behalf of all the Sioux Nations that issued resolutions, stating their opposition to UND keeping the name, we hereby give you permission to retire the name.

Erich Longie, Fort Totten, N.D., column: Standing Rock vote can't be ignored

2011-10-16T16:20:37Z

As a Herald story noted Friday, the pro-logo individual(s) did not do well in the tribal elections. This debunks the claim by non-Indians and Indians who are not enrolled at the Rock that Standing Rock is strongly pro-logo.

By: Erich Longie,

By Erich Longie

FORT TOTTEN, N.D. -- A lot of attention has been given to the letters written to the Big Sky Conference by my fellow tribal members and their Committee for Understanding and Respect.

What got much less attention were the results of the tribal election held at Standing Rock on Oct. 6. But the outcome of that election had more potential to influence the outcome of the nickname and logo issue than the letters written by my fellow Spirit Lakers.

As a Herald story noted Friday, the pro-logo individual(s) did not do well in the tribal elections ("Nickname supporter loses bid for tribal seat," Page A1).

This debunks the claim by non-Indians and Indians who are not enrolled at the Rock that Standing Rock is strongly pro-logo.

Many pro-logo people were hoping the outcome of the election at Standing Rock would result in a vote on the Fighting Sioux nickname. (In my view, that's the real reason House Majority Leader Al Carlson went back on his word shortly after his meeting with NCAA.)

So, with the elections at Standing Rock now over, have we taken another step toward the retirement of a symbol of conquest commonly known as the Fighting Sioux logo? Maybe.

But how many times has each side thought it had victory in its grasp only to have it snatched away?

Not so many years ago, our Spirit Lake Tribal Council refused to meet with then-UND President Charles Kupchella on the logo issue. And I remember attending a General Assembly when the logo issue was brought up -- and was overwhelmingly defeated.

Now, our reservation has a resolution supporting the name, and my fellow tribal members are threatening to take action against the Big Sky Conference, UND and the State Board of Higher Education.

Although I'm not a lawyer, I'm comfortable enough in my knowledge to say this: Our tribal court does not have jurisdiction over either UND or the state board.

And I say this with some regret, because although I am strongly against the name, I think it would be very nice indeed if our court did have jurisdiction over state institutions. For if it did, the Committee for Understanding and Respect could sue the Al Carlson-led Legislature for rejecting six bills that would have allocated close to a million dollars to address American Indian issues.

There are about 6,700 Spirit Lake tribal members. Some 700-plus voted for the name, which is roughly 10 percent of our total population.

Meanwhile, the combined population of all Sioux reservations is more than 110,000. Leaders of these reservations have signed a resolution against the name.

So, the 700-plus who voted for the name comprise less than 1 percent of the entire Sioux Nation. Hardly an overwhelming majority, I would say.

The majority of Spirit Lake tribal members who have graduated from UND are against the name and have signed a letter to that effect.

Much ado has been made of the Sioux "disappearing" if the logo is retired. This is the most foolish, racist argument of them all. Not one Caucasian has come up to me and said they are proud to meet a "Fighting Sioux" (me). On the other hand, many, many Caucasians have come up to me and shook my hand after I received my doctorate from UND.

It will be UND that will be forgotten if pro-logo supporters insist on keeping the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.

Last but not least, a Herald editorial stated the only reason the nickname is going to be retired is because of NCAA's policy ("NCAA, not Big Sky, deserves committee's wrath," Page D1, Oct. 9).

Hmm: After all that has transpired because of the nickname over the past 40 years, it is sad to note that the editorial board and likely others still don't understand that it is derogatory to use a race of people as nicknames, mascots or logos.

Or, maybe they have, and they just don't have the courage of their convictions to state it publicly due to fear of retaliation by pro-logo supporters.

Longie is president of Spirit Lake Consulting.

Managers and Traditional Native American Values::

2011-08-09T21:04:36Z

Management today is no different than management during our ancestors' time - it is just different times and circumstances. Like our ancestors, managers today have to master four basic functions of management: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. These skills are certainly useful, however without possessing the values of courage, honesty, perseverance/fortitude, and generosity to guide them while carrying out these tasks, a person will be a mediocre manager at best. What happens when tribal managers do not follow these values?

In a letter to the Turtle Mountain Times ( June 25, 2007) The writer starts by saying:

I've always believed when a person even steals one penny from a tribal program, that person steals not from the program, but from each and every member of the tribe.

Unfortunately, the writer goes on to say,

Nothing is being done to correct the problems. Corruption, nepotism, and outright theft still exist. Our 'tribe' does nothing to protect the whistle-blowers. People still live in fear, and the outspoken people on this reservation are marginalized and blacklisted.

Becoming an Ethical Manager

There are literally hundreds of educational institutions that offer programs in management, and there are thousands of books on the art of management. Most of these programs and books cover the essentials of management: leadership, managing human resources, job performance, meetings, how to handle change at the macro and micro level, hiring/firing, etc. however, most of them teach very little, if any values.

By incorporating Native Americans values into your management skills, you will find that you will be a much better manager. You will feel pride in your decision-making; you will not spend time worrying about the consequences of your actions; and, you will find out how much more people respect you and your decisions. In short, it is fun and fulfilling being a courageous and ethical manager.

Courageous Leaders:

Almost all managers believe that they are leaders and they have a positive influence over their employees and the tribal members they serve. Manager would like to believe all their employees respect and say nothing but good things about them. However, if you live on a Indian reservation you can probably easily think of the names of one or two managers who do not have the respect of their employees due to their unethical behavior.

"Courage is the single most decisive trait in a leader"

Why? ...Because as a manager, you are required to make dozens of decisions daily. The majority of these decisions do not take much courage and/or high moral character, but those few that do will determine what kind of leader you are. And it turn what kind of manager you are. Without courage you will not make moral and ethical decisions in most situations. Instead you will make cowardly and unethical decisions. Courage is not something you are born with. Courage like every other value becomes stronger the more you practice it. Once you have learned how to face your fears and overcome them, when you have demonstrated your courage over and over again, it will become your most admirable virtue. It will change how people view you, how they approach you, and it will increase their respect for you. Without courage, you will not be able to develop other critical leadership traits, such as decisiveness, (self-) responsibility, flexibility, and generosity.

Traditional Values and Tribal Management

Long before the coming of the white man, Native Americans were excellent managers - they had to be; their lives depended on it. Within the Great Plains tribes (Sioux, Blackfoot, Arikara, Hidatsa, Mandan, Arapaho, Gros Ventre, Omaha, Crow, Ponca, Cheyenne and Assiniboine) different societies existed, each with unique roles. Societies originated from a legend, vision, or dream. Often the most important of these societies were the warrior societies. For the Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota (the Sioux), these Societies were often referred to as police or military organizations, but they were much more than that. These warrior societies often kept order in the camps, and often had the responsibility of managing the daily activities of the camp. One did not just go out and join these societies. To be accepted into a society usually meant an individual had exemplary character. He was usually known for his courage, honesty, perseverance/fortitude, generosity, wisdom, and for his loyalty

Also like managers today, the members of warrior societies had many additional responsibilities. These included:

Playing a unique intermediary role in government by serving as the active, but temporary, dispensers of authority;
Serving as creative display centers where recognition was given for honors earned by warriors and women's guild workers for tasks well done on behalf of the tribe.
Punishing offenders against the public welfare;
Guarding the camp against possible surprise attacks by an enemy, both at camp and while moving;
Keeping the camp informed at all times as to the movement of the buffalo herd;
Fostering intersociety rivalry to cultivate bravery and a military spirit among themselves and among boys, who needed a living example of their future responsibilities;
Taking the most commanding and dangerous places in battle;
Ministering to the desires of members for social recreation through feast and dances.

Back in the pre-reservation days, Indian people of the northern plains had the best deterrent to bad leaders: They simply stopped following them. Therefore it is important to remember that tribal members have the final say on who is going to be our leaders. If our reservations are going to become better places for our children to live, then we tribal members have to stop supporting unethical leaders, and start supporting leaders who have courage, honesty, perseverance, and generosity to lead justly. If we do not demand these qualities from our leaders, we have no right to complain when our leaders commit cowardly and unethical acts.

Pure Evil

2011-07-12T22:24:11Z

It has been over 27 years since I had my last drink of alcohol. (I was thirty-one years old.) Because that was such a long time ago and since I am not an Addiction Counselor I am not prone to go around preaching against the evils of alcohol. But that doesn't mean I have forgotten the harm it (alcoholism) has caused my family and relatives.

Every now and than an alcohol-related incident will occur that will remind me of the pure evil of alcoholism. Such an incident occurred last night, which in turn prompted this blog:

A woman gets into an argument with her 18 year old daughter and ordered her (daughter) out of the house. In spite of the fact her daughter had two young babies both less than two years old. Later that same day, as it was getting dark the mother/grand mother throws all her daughters clothes and other belongings out onto the lawn. The daughter implores her to think about her grand daughters but to no avail.

Now alcoholism may not be as prevalent on the reservation as it was back in my heyday. This may be because other drugs have taken it place. I know pills are a huge problem. They appear to be at least as bad as alcohol if not worse.

Anyway, if you noticed I characterized alcoholism as "pure evil". As a recovering alcoholic who drank alcoholically for 15 years I view alcoholism as a tangible evil force. This force is smarter, more cunning, more persistent, and more ruthless -- it never tires, it never takes a day off -- it is virtually unconquerable. Why? Because of the amount of pure lies intertwined into the life of an alcoholic.

Charles Eastman (Dakota 1858 - 1939 said this "A person who was capable of lying was believed to be capable of committing other cowardly crimes against the tribe and was put to death to prevent the evil from doing more harm."

When a person become addicted to alcohol, when they cross that imaginary line that defined them as an alcoholic as opposed to a social drinker he or she begins to live a life of a lie. Their first lie is that they are not alcoholic. Then they begin to lie about the problems it causes them; late or missing work, DUI's, bills not be paid, family members going without new clothes and other necessities, arguments with family, relatives and acquaintances... the list goes on and on.

The alcoholic will ignore all warning signs (lying to one's self) that their life is in trouble. Why? I don't know why, I don't think anyone does. That is the big mystery of addiction.

More times than I care to remember I have woken up feeling absolutely horrible. First, from the amount of alcohol I drank the night, days or even the weeks before. And than from the despicable acts I committed while under the influence. I would vow never to drink again. A few days later my feelings of self-loathing would magically disappear and I would start the whole cycle all over again.

As powerful as alcoholism is it does have its Achilles heel. It has no defense against (SELF) HONESTY.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has it right when the came up with this first step to sobriety: We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable - I call this is totally honesty. However, the amount of self-honesty a person needed to make this admission is enormous. Most people are not capable of this level of self-honesty, which is why the recovery rate of alcoholics are very low - around 30% I think.

I was one of the lucky few. The values my mom instilled me, one which was honesty, enabled me to admit that that alcohol had ruined my life. Even so, it still took three stints in the Veteran Hospital's treatment center before I quit drinking for good.

Getting back to my opening scenario, I realize there are two sides to every argument. However, regardless of the circumstances surrounding an argument a parent has to be pretty ruthless to kick a child and grand children out in the manner that I described. This example of alcoholic behavior is why I classify alcoholism as "pure evil".

National Indian Education Study - more culture = lower math scores & we expected that

2011-07-06T02:08:43Z

As my good friend AnnMarie wrote in her blog I "...hypothesized that schools that had more cultural activities would have lower academic achievement." Prior to leaving to DC to take a look at the yet to be released data from the National Indian Education Study.

Over the years I have always been involved in promoting our culture in the classroom, as a Tribal College academic dean and president and later as a high school board member. Why? Because numerous studies have shown the more an Indian child knows about his or her culture the higher their test scores will be.

Therefore, I could never understand why college instructors and high school administrators would not put a serious effort into promoting culture in the classroom. Other board members who also wanted to see more culture in the classrooms shared my frustration.

Why did I change my mind?

This past year I had the opportunity to teach "The History and Culture of the Spirit Lake Oyate" to the fifth and sixth graders at Tate Topa Middle School. The experience was rewarding. I had always said I wanted to end my career in Indian Education back in the classroom. Preferable back to teaching third grade.

My close up, hands on experience, of teaching culture revealed an equation that I wasn't aware of. What actually happens in a classroom and in the school on a daily basis? Here are my observations:

Ø Why don't administrators push for more culture classes? Because most administrators believe there is no real learning going on in culture classes.

Ø Why? The majority of culture teachers don't have a teaching degree, which in the mind of administrator make them poor teachers. It is one thing to know the culture and another to know how to teach it.

Ø What happens then? The lack of teacher trainings by culture teachers gives a bad impression to students and other professionally trained teachers.

Ø Why are they allowed in the classroom? Because who else will teach the culture? Indians with teaching degree are needed and wanted in the regular classroom.

Ø What is the result of this lack of professionalism? The administration does not view culture classes as important as other disciplines. Their academic expectations are lower. As a result the quality of instruction is not a good as the other disciplines.

Ø What is the final outcome? Culture instruction can actually have an adverse impact on student learning. The student pick up bad habits in a culture class, no respect for teacher, low motivation to learn, not finishing assignment, etc., these bad habits spill into other classes.

(I would say the exceptions to my observations are the Language teachers. It is almost impossible to find college graduate who speaks the language)

Is there hard data to support my observations? Yes there is. Let me refer you my friend and colleague AnnMaria's blog title: More cultural relevance = lower academic achievement: WHY? http://t.co/OzpevQ8

There is another reason why I think we are having a difficult time teaching culture. As I stated earlier, I had the opportunity to teach culture to the 5th and 6th graders this past spring. Having been out of an elementary classroom for over twenty years it took me awhile to get organized and adjusted to the classroom again.

Shortly after starting I begin to suspect the students had no idea what "Being Indian" meant. One day I gave them a simple assignment. The students were to write down the answer to this question. What does it mean to be Indian? Most of them had no answers. Those students that did answer, their answers weren't satisfactory. I disregarded my lessen plans and set out to teach them what I thought "Being Indian" meant.

The first thing I did was explained to them that our culture could be divided into three parts: language, customs, and value. A person has to speak the language to teach it. Other than a speaking a few words I didn't speak the language other than a few words. The custom, which I identified as the dances, homes, clothes, history, etc., can be taught in any social studies class. I told them would focus on the values: courage, honestly, generosity and perseverance I would try to incorporate the other two aspects into my instructions as well.

Why did I choose to focus on the values? Because it was the most effective method of getting them to understand what "Being Indian" meant. For example, I pointed out many Indian wear clothes with "Native Pride" and "Proud to Indian" on them. What does Native Pride mean, I would ask them? It means a person who is courageous, who is honest, who is generous and who perseveres... just like our ancestor did, I pointed out.

And I would refer to our values when I had to discipline a student. For example, when a student was talking when he or she should have been working I would tell him to be quiet. "I wasn't talking", the student who most often say. I would than remind him or her that a Dakota was honest...

I had them watch a documentary on about a High School Indian basketball team. The team was exceptional but they lost in the state finals. Why did they lose, I asked the students at the end of the documentary? Because they (players) smoked weed, most to them said. I explained to the class when a student signs up for basketball they give their word they will follow the rules. Did those players follow the rules, I asked them? No they didn't, was the reply. What values does it relate do, I asked them. HONESTY! They yelled.

Was my method of teaching culture successful? The last week of school I ask the same question, what does it mean to be Indian? Here are responses from three students:

"Dakota means to be honesty, respect(ful) and generosity. And if you lie all the time no one would ever believe you even if you're telling the truth. Back when Indians were roaming the lands if you lied you would die. The dakota followed the seven values. We take care of our people. And we are always proud of who we are."

"I feel proud to be an Indian because we don't steal. We respect other people and we (are) honest. Indians show courage and wisdom. We fight in wars to protect our country and tribe. We show generosity by helping our relatives and elders."

"It means generosity which means sharing with people. It means respect which means respect your parent and teachers. It means persevere which means don't give up. It means courage which means stand up which you think is right."

I think I was on the right track.

Extreme Behavior In Any Direction is Unhealthy

2011-06-24T00:59:11Z

I belong to Group on Facebook that encourages members to share their cultural beliefs. A few days ago a member posted an opinion on consuming alcohol and attending ceremonies. A couple member responded with their thoughts on the subject. I did to. Here is what I wrote:

"I agree that people should not drink and attend ceremonies at the same time.

If a person is truly addicted to alcohol and behaves accordingly yes, that person should not attend ceremonies and pretend that they are walking the Red Road.

However, I also agree with many of the points _________ _________ made. One or two drinks once or twice a month does not make a person an alcoholic. I have been sober for 27 years but I have not forgotten the harm alcohol has done to our Indian Communities. On the other hand I am not one of those recovering alcoholics who looks upon anyone who picks up a can of beer every now and then as an evil person.

I admit I am not a regular at our ceremonies although I do attend them at special times in my life. The last time I attended a sweat was a couple years ago when I took a young man as my son in a ceremony.

My concern is not so much the people who drink and attend ceremonies as it is about those who attend ceremonies and continue to lie, cheat, steal and are moral cowards in their daily lives. I know an elder who attend many ceremonies but is known by many as one of the biggest liar in the community. And man, can this person use vile language at basketball games.

In many ways we have become like Christians who go to church every Sunday and then go out and "sin" the rest of the week. And back to church on Sunday.....

Because many of us were not raised from infancy with our traditional values we have a hard time following them every single day.

I would like to see more of us practice our traditional values of courage, honesty, perseverance and generosity every single day... instead of just verbalizing them at ceremonies."

A couple of other members posted comments warning about "judging others". My response was this:

"Prior to being exposed to Christianity we ndn were pretty much a live and let live type of society. Blaming and judging other probably comes from Christian influence.

However, we had rigid standards of behavior that tribal members were expected to follow. For example, among my ancestors, the Dakota, lying was considered evil and if a person lied too much he/she was put to death to prevent the evil from spreading.

My point is, let's not confuse the expectations of the people who truly follow the Red Road with the Christian's habit of judging and condemning."

In the meantime, a couple of the members who were discussing what and what isn't "judging behavior" had their conversation between them sort of go down hill, if you know what I mean. This resulted in one person leaving the group.

Let me go back to my assertion that, "Blaming and judging other probably comes from Christian influence."

As a child I attended several different churches, when I became old enough to understand what "You are going to hell if..." meant, or what was in store for me if I wasn't a good Christian I became worried that "God" was always watching (judging) me and I would end up in hell for sure. The more I went church, the more I became deathly scared of going there (hell). And the older I became, the more convinced I was that I was going to end up there (in hell), which would frighten me even more.

This scare tactic, which was really "judging", by the Christians priests and ministers was very effective. We Indians soon learned to judge others Indians in the same manner as well.

The priest and minister were not the only one who frowned upon my behavior as child. Many older Indians also disapprove of my behavior but there was never a mention of hell or what would happen to me in the Spirit World if we didn't behave.

However, that is not to say we did not disapprove of certain types of behavior. Let me repeat what I said earlier:

"However, we had rigid standards of behavior that tribal members were expected to follow. For example, among my ancestors, the Dakota, lying was consider evil and if a person lied to much he/she was put to death to prevent the evil from spreading."

In other words, punishment (judgment) was swift and certain if you deviated from your tribe's standards (values) of behavior. Why this quick punishment? Because back than the traditional values of courage, honesty, perseverance, and generosity was instilled in a person from infancy. Therefore, when a person did commit a grievous offense there was no "judging" or arguing if they were guilty or not. Why? Because when you live by traditional values you do not make an untrue accusation and the accused would not try to lie their way out it.

I recall a story I read in which a young Indian man was accused of murder and sentenced to death. Instead of defending him the father asked to die in his place. The father said he was old and could not take care of his son's family if he (son) is executed. So "I am going to take his place...", the father said. "What are a few more years more or less when you're old." The father goes on to say. The father is summarily executed in his son's place.

Compare that with what would happened today. Today, a person or his family would make up many excuses, many of them outright lies, to prevent a person from being held accountable for his or her actions.

My point of this blog, and yes I do have one, is this; the majority of us were not raised from infancy by our tribe's traditional values. Therefore, we need to be very careful that we do not "judge" others unfairly, and/or maliciously, at the same time we should not become overly defensive when we perceive someone is judging us. This extremism in either direction will only reveal our character weakness to others.

Dakota Values bring me a satisfaction with my life that I could not find any where else.

2011-06-15T22:55:49Z

(Although I haven't always followed the values my Dakota mother taught me they did surface at various times in my life and they helped me endure whatever particular crisis my lack of values got me into.)

From the moment I gave up alcohol 27 years ago I was always searching for something. Within three years of becoming sober I had obtained a teaching degree and was teaching 3th grade at our tribal school. I was also appointed to the college board of regents around this time. After teaching third grade for three years I went to work at our tribal college as the Academic Dean. Within fourteen years after achieving sobriety I was a tribal college president. Although, I became a single parent during around this time - my life was great. I eventually went on to obtain a doctorate degree and a form Spirit Lake Consulting with my good friend Dr. Ann Maria De Mars - we made a lot of money the past several years.

However, in spite of my satisfaction from my professional accomplishments, beyond the joy of raising three boys and one daughter there was always something missing in my life. I would try to fill this void by moving on to a new project or taking on a new challenge. However, the satisfaction I felt from another accomplishment and overcoming another challenge would last only briefly then I would have to move on to something new to keep that nagging feeling of emptiness at bay.

Once I returned to my Dakota values I realized that the void inside me, that feeling of emptiness, was caused my own deceitfulness about who I really was. This recognition of my character weaknessws was hard to accept at first. After all no one was complaining. In fact my children loved and respected me, many of my relatives and friends spoke highly of me. So what was the problem? Here was the problem; by not practicing the values my Dakota mom instilled in me, I wasn't living up to the potential the Creator has instilled in me. I should have been a much better parent, I should have been a much better brother to my brothers and sisters, I should have been a much better relative to my many cousins, nieces and nephews, I should not have taken advantage of my friends and I certainly could have had a better work ethic.

And deep down I knew it... I knew I did just enough to get by, not what I should have done or what I was capable of. But I didn't try to become that person because I was lazy, I was selfish and at times I was a moral coward.

As time when by, the older I grew, I begin to return to the values taught to me during my youth. As result, it became harder to keep lying to myself... and it was this unwanted knowledge that was making me so unhappy at times.

So I begin to tried to live by the values my mother taught me. However, it wasn't until four years ago when I begin researching, writing and talking about our traditional values of courage, honesty, perseverance and generosity that I slowly came to the realization how powerful our Dakota value are - if you choose to live by them.

Our values appear so simple and in many ways they are. Once a person begin to incorporate them into their lives they will soon realize how much more rewarding their lives will be. When this happens they will get a glimmer of understanding of just how wise our ancestors were to have adopted the values courage, honesty, perseverance and generosity to guide them is everything they did.

Although I have a long, long way to go in truly understanding the full extend of our traditional values the little I did learn about them and by incorporating this knowledge into all aspect of my life has brought me that inner peace that has eluded me all these years.

Former TMCC Vice President Carol Ann Davis Retires: By Gerald Carty Monette

2011-05-31T22:56:36Z

Dr. Carol Ann Davis retired on April 4, 2011.   Carol is an enrolled Turtle Mountain Chippewa. She has given a lifetime of service to educating tribal members including 40 years of service to Turtle Mountain Community College. Please join me by congratulating Dr. Carol Davis as she enters retirement.

Only a few people know that it was Carol Davis who is responsible for the funding that started the college. It happened in 1971, on a return airplane flight from Seattle, writing on napkins, Carol composed a proposal for a federal grant that eventually resulted in the funding.   Carol had paid for the trip to Seattle with her own money. Without a doubt this created a financial hardship for her young family. Carol knew it was important that someone argue for the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribe before a group of national educators who were meeting in Seattle to create a consortium of newly established tribal colleges. Not surprising Carol was convincing and the group gave their support for a tribal college at Turtle Mountain. One year later, in November 1972, the Turtle Mountain Community College was established by tribal resolution. Today, 40 years later, hundreds of tribal members have successfully attained a college education and are enjoying good jobs and a better life because Carol Davis had a vision, and because of that proposal she wrote on airplane napkins 40 years ago.

Carol has been a leader in many aspects of TMCC planning, development, and implementation. During the formative years either acting alone or by applying her ability to work with others she helped to secure a unique legal relationship between TMCC and the tribal government. Later she helped to build essential relationships with the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education, with federal agencies, and accrediting associations.

When Carol joined TMCC in the mid 1980's as its Vice President she quickly engaged herself in accreditation, improving quality of instruction, and by service to students and community. Over the years she marshaled the writing of numerous successful proposals. Her contributions are many including the first fully accredited elementary teaching degree at a tribal college and a 4-year secondary teaching degree with an emphasis in science and mathematics education.

I had the honor to serve TMCC for about 33 years and its president for about 27 years. I left the college in 2005. Carol would have been an excellent choice to become the next president. This did not happen and she subsequently left the college and was immediately hired by North Dakota State University as the EPSCoR liaison to tribal colleges. In this capacity she has been assisting students who are pursuing 4-year and graduate science and engineering degrees and with developing research potential at tribal colleges.

Much more can be said about her work. Carol has been involved in several important state and national education initiatives, has given many public presentations, and has served on numerous advisory boards. With her many professional accomplishments Carol and her family have earned the right to be proud of each one. Telling her story would fill a book. When a comprehensive history of Turtle Mountain tribal education and of Turtle Mountain Community College is written the book will include the many contributions of Dr. Carol Davis. Carol would be the first to acknowledge the hard work of those with whom she has served, the boards and staffs at the college, those in the schools, and the people of the Turtle Mountain community. Carol, we wish you well.

Enjoy the time with your husband Lynn, your children and many grandchildren. Thank-you for everything you have done. You are truly a remarkable-visionary leader and will continue to be a role model for young woman and men.

Dr. Carol Davis's Graduation Speech at Sitting Bull Colllege

2011-05-21T18:17:11Z

Good Afternoon

Spiritual Leader, Drum, Dr. Vermillion, Dr. Ressler, Ms. Desjarlais, Graduates and your families, Tribal Chairman Murphy, Tribal Council, Board of Directors, Faculty, Staff, Dignitaries, and Guests.

It is with great pleasure and humility that I stand before you today. I came to share a message of congratulations and encouragement for the graduates. Today is your day. You have worked hard and sacrificed your time, energy and resources to get here. I am sure as you think back on your academic journey, you recall hardships that you endured and the sacrifices you made. And, your families recall the decisions and sacrifices you made. There were times when you had to make the choice between recreation and studying. Obviously, you studied.

I feel a special connection to Standing Rock. I share grandchildren with some of your families. We share a granddaughter with Daisy Cadotte. Her name is Natalie. Our son, Danny, is married to Spring Left Hand's daughter, Courtney. They have two children, Elliot and Karsen. And Lynn and I lived her for six years. You might say we honeymooned here. We came in 1965. We did not have children when we arrived. We left 5 ½ years later and we had four children. And, of course, during those six years, we found lots of friends. Some are in the room today.

I belong to a book club made up of Indian people from across the state. We read good books and come together to discuss them. One of the books we read was called The Genius of Sitting Bull - Thirteen Heroic Strategies for Today's Business Leaders. It is a book that relates how one of your heroic leaders, Sitting Bull, out smarted Custer and it outlines the leadership strategies he used. As I thought about the graduates, I realized that a message about leadership is very appropriate for tribal college graduates because you are the future leaders of this tribe. And, this being Sitting Bull College, I felt his accomplishments are appropriate to explore. Today I will use the 13 Heroic Strategies used by Sitting Bull when he defeated Custer to provide a framework as you move to the next level and on to leadership positions here at Standing Rock using the education you have received here at Sitting Bull College.

The first strategy Sitting Bull used was to...

1. Create Commitment:

Book: The outcome of the battle of the Little Big Horn was a result of the two leaders' basic attitudes toward commitment. Sitting Bull lead through commitment to others. Custer led through commitment to himself.

Example: As I searched for an example of creating commitment at Standing Rock, my thoughts rolled back to the beginning of your college in 1971-1972. At that time, I was the State Talent Search Director that was headquartered out of the University of Mary. In that role, I had the good fortune to work with the creation of Turtle Mountain Community College and I worked with the people at Standing Rock who were developing your college. Here are some of the people who I recall were involved in those very early years: Minard White who became your first President, David and Bob Gipp, Jack Barden, Emma Jean Blue Earth, Jerry Silk, Glen Eagle, Tom Buffalo Boy, and Melvin White Eagle who was your chairman. We had a similar crew at Turtle Mountain. I spent time mainly with David Gipp and Jack Barden in those early days scheming and planning for how we might launch these two tribal colleges that became remarkable tribal institutions of higher education.

Student Message: To the graduates I suggest that when you have the opportunity to do something for your tribe, create commitment and figure out how to help all of the people in the way the founders of Sitting Bull College created commitment.

The 2^nd strategy used by Sitting Bull was to build trust. As you prepare to become leaders, think about how you will build trust among your stakeholders.

2. Build Trust: Sitting Bull had to build the trust of the Sioux Nation as he brought the chiefs together to fight Custer.

Example: I'll share another example. It was in the Fall of 1971 and no one had money in those days. We had found a friend at Pine Ridge named Birgil Kills Straight who was working there to create the Oglala-Lakota Tribal College. He contacted me to tell me there was going to be a tribal college organization meeting in Seattle at the National Indian Education Conference. In those days most people didn't have travel money. Our two North Dakota groups lacked resources to get to that meeting, so I bought myself a plane ticket and flew to Seattle. You can imagine the trouble I got into at home when Lynn found out I drained our bank account. When I got to Seattle, I followed people around the meeting and just couldn't get invited to the tribal college meeting that was happening until I met Pat Lock. She directed me to Gerald One Feather from Pine Ridge. He told me that they wanted to advocate for Title III implementation funding for four tribal colleges and they wanted to give two planning grants--one to Standing Rock and the other to Turtle Mountain. After some serious discussion, Gerald and the Title III people at the conference agreed to consider all six of us for implementation grants. Gerald asked if we had proposals. I lied and said "Yes. They are ready to go!" He told us to show up in Phoenix in two weeks with our proposals and we were in. I got in touch with David Gipp and the people here to share the good news. We got our proposals together and showed up in Phoenix. Stanley Red Bird from Rosebud and helpers led a yuwepi ceremony. I remind our leaders that the tribal college movement, before any money was laid on the table, was created through ceremony. They are sacred institutions. As a result, Standing Rock Community College, which later became Sitting Bull College, and Turtle Mountain Community College became two of the six original tribal colleges that formed the American Indian Higher Education Consortium.

Graduatte message: I offer this to the graduates as an example of trust. Lots of us trusted one another as we took our first steps. We did not second guess one another. This is an example of how trust can help build dreams. As you build dreams, you may have to trust the people you work with.

3. Increase Power: When we review the third strategy used by Sitting Bull, you find a desirable leadership strait. He empowered strong leaders, tapped their strengths, and together they defeated Custer. He believed that only weak leaders hoarded power. He studied the Sioux Chiefs and used their strengths where they were needed. Crazy Horse became the fighter; Red Cloud helped to reinforce the culture and traditions of the Sioux; Gall provided the planning and structure for the effort; Four Horns kept the initiative sensitive and personal for the people.

Example: Looking at Sitting Bull College today, your leader, President Dr. Vermillion, possess this trait. She has three Vice Presidents who are the best at what they do and Dr. Vermillion will tell you that she has confidence in their leadership. Dr. Koreen Ressler is known as one of the most competent leaders of academic programs among tribal colleges. Other tribal colleges call her when they have questions; Julie Desjarlais is known as a hard working savvy Student Services leader who is among the best among tribal colleges; when she sees a way to address the success of students, she is on it! Leonica Alkire has a reputation for knowing finance and runs an enviable business office and she is called upon by tribal colleges and organizations to train others. Dr. Vermillion knows Sitting Bull College increases in power when each leader is allowed to apply their skill and knowledge.

Graduate message: When you are in positions of leadership, remember that Sitting Bull spent time fitting the task at hand with the person most capable of carrying out the plan. This might not be your best friend or your cousin. And, don't hoard power. It won't work.

4. Live the Experience of Your People:

In strategy four, Sitting Bull made an effort to understand the people--their fear, anger, and willingness to put their lives on the line as the military put more and more demands on the people. Living the experience of the people helped him understand how they would react to the stress of the pending battle and he was able to help them face the hardships they would endure.

I would like to use one of your tribal members as an example of someone who assessed her situation and made some right decisions based upon what she knew about the reservation system. In about 1965, I was working here in the BIA employment assistance office and kept hearing about one of your tribal members--Marie Claymore-High Eagle. What struck me about this young person was that she was a single mother who had moved with her four little boys to Aberdeen, SD to attend a business college. Shortly after I arrived here, I heard she was graduating and coming back to Standing Rock to accept employment at the BIA. The day she reported, I went over to introduce myself and we became friends immediately. I knew I was meeting a special person. She had met the challenge. I can only imagine the hardships she faced as she put these little boys in school, found baby sitters, dealt with illness, lack of resources, and loneliness. Yet, she did not give up. She stayed right there knowing her sacrifices would make life better for herself and her children. Marie went on to hold some very impressive positions in her career and everyone who works with her says she is smart and hard working. Today, Marie is the Administrative Officer at the McLaughlin Clinic.

Graduate message: Graduates, if you are a single parent who wants to transfer to a college away from the reservation, I would suggest visiting with Marie. She is aware of the challenges you face and may have good advice for you. Or, when times get tough, think of Marie and how she did not give up and went on the have a great career.

5. Be a Healer: In strategy five, Sitting Bull gladly accepted his role as protector and healer. He lived with the people and had their respect.

Example: To move our people forward we must take responsibility for protecting and healing within our families and communities. I remember some very strong women from the day when I lived here. Marilyn Keepseagle, Shirley Plume, Leona Claymore, Margaret Teachout, Margie Dunn, Philomine One Feather, Alvina Grey Bear, Elaine St. John, Elsie Martin, Theresa Martin, Eunice Gipp, Zona Thunderhawk--these are some women that I admired. They got involved and were not shy about having input into what was happening.

Graduate message: Graduates. Think about your leaders and I think you will identify those who are just plain caring and nice people. They use their positions to help the people. Now, hold that thought. When you are in that position of leadership, protect, heal the wounds, and help those you serve.

6. Communicate on Many Levels:

Book: Strategy 6 addressed effective communication which was essential as Sitting Bull communicated with other tribes and camps prior to their trek to Montana and throughout Little Big Horn immediately prior to the encounter with Custer. It was vital to the success of the mission.

Example: How do we communicate our message today? It isn't always verbal. When I travel to the facilities at Sitting Bull College, it communicates the value for students and staff held by the college leaders. When funding and accreditation agencies visit your campus, they use the facilities as one indicator as they evaluate your college. Your college facility message is a positive one--one that demonstrates hard work and commitment by those involved.

Graduate message: To the graduates I hope you will always appreciate the college. Your administrators work very hard to provide the facilities and services to help your tribal members achieve. They sometimes make it look easy and we end up thinking that just anyone can do their job. But, believe me. I've worked at a tribal college. This is a hard job that requires many hours of commitment and dedication. If you have an opportunity in the future to support the college in some way, I hope you will be there to help.

To be successful, you must think strategically.

7. Think Strategically: Strategy 7 required thinking and planning strategically. We have all heard of strategic plans and we don't often think of Sitting Bull as a strategic planner. Sitting Bull planned for the welfare of you in this generation. Custer planned for a moment of personal glory (and failed).

Example: If you review the strategic plan of Sitting Bull College, you will see that their science department goals are being met by a highly qualified staff. The four PH D's in your science department are an example of putting together a team that is capable of strategically meeting your instructional needs in science--Dr. Gary Halvorson, Dr. Jeremy Guinn, Dr. Mafany Mongo, and Dr. Dan Buresch. And, I believe Linda Different Cloud also joined this team. It is always great when our tribal members are part of a successful effort. Linda brings traditional knowledge into the research program which is unique. The work done by this team is recognized throughout the tribal college movement not just for their instruction, but for research. I am very impressed with how Sitting Bull College has teamed with your tribe to answer environmental questions. This is what research universities do all over the world. They team with their communities and stakeholders. It is very impressive that it is happening here on the Standing Rock Reservation.

Graduate message: If you are going to move an idea forward, do the necessary planning. As Sitting Bull College moves towards becoming a research university for your tribe, think about what they are doing. As this unit grows, more jobs will be created in the future that will enable more of your tribal members to work in research and more of your tribal members will seek PhD's in order to be here helping to answer reservation questions for your tribe. When you think about the questions we have on our reservations, we realize that there is a big job waiting. This is an area where jobs can grow on the Standing Rock Reservation for those of you who go on to a master's degree or doctorate. The field is endless. Here are some research questions: For education researchers: Why do some students stay in school while others drop out? For business majors: What are the purchasing trends of the people on the Standing Rock Reservation? For Social Science majors: What characteristics contribute to positive self-esteem as the tribe seeks to combat suicide among young people? For agriculture majors studying the environment: If you supplement your cattle's diet with a type of amino acid and nitrate can you reduce the methane gas produced without jeopardizing the cattle's productivity or the quality of their meat and milk? Remember graduates. Research is waiting for you to help answer questions for your tribe. But, you must plan your professional career by using strategies that will help you achieve your goals.

We don't often think about the strength of our competition. We just want to win. But, ....

8. Respect Your Competition: Sitting Bull respected the enemy in strategy 8. He studied them and knew what he was up against when the fighting started at the Little Big Horn.

Example: Tribal colleges in their infant stage, were not respected by mainstream colleges and universities. Those who were affiliated with us wanted to micromanage us. Those who accepted our students in transfer picked student transcripts apart. But, look at Sitting Bull College today. You are a fully accredited tribal college that offers five bachelor's degrees and a special education endorsement in teacher education.

Graduate message: Look at the graduates in this commencement. Think about where you will be 20 years from now as a result of your hard work and commitment. Think about where the Standing Rock Reservation can be when you apply your skills to the needs of the people here. One more thought and recommendation for everyone in this room. Respect the thinking and initiative of your young people. The ND tribal college movement was started by a bunch of 25-year olds, many who did not have college degrees. Look at the bright young people among these graduates. Give them the opportunity to pursue dreams for your tribe. They are eager to move you into the future. Allow them to dream. Don't limit them to the same ideas and dreams of others. Allow them to come to your organizations and agencies and practice what they know. Graduates, you had that opportunity to do community service while enrolled at SBC. Continue to help where you are needed in your community.

Nothing defines a leader better than when they face a major challenge, or as it was for Sitting Bull, when he faced the enemy.

9. Redefine the Rules of Battle: When you look at how Sitting Bull positioned the leaders--Crazy Horse, Gall, Red Cloud--he was consciously redefining the rules of battle which was his ninth strategy. He concentrated on turning the enemies' strengths into weaknesses.

Example: Sitting Bull College applied this strategy in the early days. I remember sitting in a meeting at NDSU last year where President Vermillion related her experience as a student at Standing Rock Community College. She related how she and two other students walked with their instructor, Jack Barden, through a building looking for a room to meet. Not finding a place, they sat on the floor in the hallway and Dr. Barden commenced to hold class. It would have been easy for Jack to tell the students that they could not meet because they didn't have a classroom. But, he redefined the rules. He redefined the rules of battle for higher education on the Standing Rock Reservation. And, Dr. Vermillion and the other students knew how bad they wanted an education. When they sat on that floor in that hallway, they redefined the rules.

Graduate message: Graduates. You will have opportunities to move forward with limited resources. Our tribes do not have resources to address all of our problems. Don't be afraid to redefine the rules, if it will get the job done. Don't stop working on a good project because you lack resources. Redefine the rules as Jack Barden and his students did that day when they chose to sit on the floor.

Another characteristic of an effective leader is to know the terrain.

10. Know the Terrain: In strategy 10, Sitting Bull took pains to learn about the terrain--the Little Big Horn. His awareness was dependent on identifying changes and adjusting his warriors in that terrain. He set standards of communication with all chiefs to assure that everyone worked together. It was necessary and contributed to success of the mission.

Example: As one of the six original tribal colleges and one of the founders of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, Sitting Bull College was aware of the tremendous challenge ahead. Your board members, staff and faculty were continually reminded of higher education terrain. Funding and accreditation became the pathway on the terrain. Faculty, staff, and students became the stakeholders. The Tribal Community College Act of 1978, the National Science Foundation Tribal Colleges and Universities Program, Title III, Dept. of Ed Vocational Education Program, American Indian College Fund, Land Grant Status, state appropriation for non-tribal students--these are examples of funding opportunities that evolved through the involvement of Sitting Bull College leaders with the other tribal controlled colleges from across the country. Those leaders who worked on funding knew the congressional and government terrain. Accreditation of your certificate programs, associate degree and bachelor's degree programs demonstrates that your leadership knows the terrain of higher education.

Graduate message: The graduates in this audience will be called upon to do great things in the future and the word of advice from all of us is to know your terrain. Know what you are up against. Don't demand things because no one will care. But, when you begin to negotiate and contribute as an equal, you will find that doors will open. People will respect what you know and appreciate what you want to do. They will figure out whether or not you know your terrain and know what you intend to do. Sharpen up before you get to that level.

How about those Warriors?

11. Rightsize your Forces: Sitting Bull knew that to defeat the Bluecoats, he had to put the right people in the right place at the right time. He knew he had to mobilize his forces in ways appropriate to meet the challenge.

Example: As I thought about this one, I recalled back in the day when Everett and Dalbert Chasing Hawk, Bill Kuntz, Bob, Bill and Darrell Eaglestaff, Wyman Archambeau, Kenny Walks, Kevin Claymore, Courtney Brown Otter, Roger Goodreau, and Albert Gipp (I apologize if I forgot someone) were the right sized force for Fort Yates High School. They were the biggest basketball talent in the state when I was here. They broke state scoring records that may still hold today. And, in later years there were comments from guys they played against that called them the most feared team in the state. My friend, Marie and I didn't miss a game and we traveled through many storms to see our team play. When Everett brought that ball down the floor and shook his head from side to side, no one knew where he would go. But, his team mates were waiting and the points flew up on the scoreboard.

Graduates message: If you are going to be a force in anybody's world today, you have to have the right combination of talent working toward your goals. Sitting Bull College has this force present today. From Boards, to the President, to the faculty and staff at Sitting Bull College, this tribal college has achieved because they embraced this strategy. Look around you. This is not one person doing it alone. It is a team of people working together to get the job done. And look at the graduates. The same can be said for each one of you. If the graduates close their eyes, they will see in their minds eye the force behind them that helped them to succeed. This is a good lesson to carry with you into life.

It is difficult to think that a leader can welcome a crisis, but in strategy twelve...

12. Welcome Crisis: ...when Sitting Bull's camp was attacked at the start of the battle of the Little Big Horn, he fought back with confidence. He knew he had prepared his people. The warriors stood their ground while the women and children escaped. Sitting Bull rang out words of encouragement to those in his camp and they drove Reno and his men back. As Custer approached, Sitting Bull turned to Crazy Horse to help fight. When the battle ended, the Sioux people had defeated Custer and the other Bluecoats. The heroic leader learns to control his or her emotions and view any crisis as a natural part of an effort. The heroic leader remains calm in a crises and trusts that the strength of the organizations staff will carry it through.

Example: Does this sound like your college? It appears that way to those of us who observe you. Did you know that it is easier to manage a crises when you anticipate that a crises can and will occur? This is another good lesson for students. Think about Marie when she was in Aberdeen. She was ready to face the tough challenge because she had her team organized. She will tell you that she had to call on her parents, Sam and Leona Claymore more than once. And her brothers and sisters were there to help, as well. She did not fear a crisis. She did not enjoy having problems or issues, but she was ready.

Graduate message: Some of you will transfer to universities next year. Or some of you will choose to stay here and enroll in one of the four-year degree programs. Whatever your plans, anticipate that things can and will happen. A child may get sick. You may lose a child-care provider. Your financial aid might be late. Grandma might become ill. How will you handle a situation such as the one I have described? If you anticipate that a crisis can or will occur and if you plan for what you will do in that crises, you will be in a better position to deal with it.

The last heroic strategy attributed to Sitting Bull was his ability to measure the results of what occurred. Today, we call this evaluation.

13. Measure the Results: Sitting Bull knew that the future of his people did not end with the bodies of the soldiers and Custer on the battlefield. Sitting Bull's greatest genius, then, may have been his ability to establish a clear vision of what it meant to be a tribal member here and his ability to set aside self-interest and address the complexity and challenges to your tribe. He left a legacy of leadership that you as a tribe can emulate.

Example: Graduates. I want to ask that you recognize your college as a good example of tribal leaders establishing a clear vision for the tribe. The college seeks to provide access to a post-secondary education for the tribal members by offering certificates, Associate Degrees and Bachelor's Degrees. In addition, the college seeks to offer GED programs for those who dropped out of high school and research to help answer questions for the tribe.

Graduate message: Graduates. Now that you have achieved your educational goal, the tribe and your families share your success. Some of you will join the labor force and apply your skills to a job. Others may choose to continue your education. Whatever you choose to do, remember that you are from a tribe that had one of the greatest leaders--Sitting Bull. You graduated today from a college that chose him as its namesake--Sitting Bull College. And he left you with an example of leadership that you can emulate into the future as you go forward to do great things!

I have reviewed the 13 leadership strategies Sitting Bull used to defeat Custer. I have given examples of these traits as I have witnessed them on your reservation. And, I tried to inspire you, the graduates to apply these strategies to your careers. We look for great things from you as a graduating class. Congratulations and best of luck.

Miigwech--thank you.

Is the Fighting Sioux moniker cursed?

2011-04-30T22:25:08Z

By Dr. Erich Longie

FORT TOTTEN, N.D. -- Is the Fighting Sioux moniker cursed? Is it the reason why the UND men's hockey team hasn't won a national title in their past six trips to the Frozen Four?

And has the curse reached out and affected others who have dealt with the controversial name?

The Curse of the Bambino was said to have begun after the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth, aka "the Bambino," to the Yankees in the off-season of 1919-20.

Before that point, the Red Sox had been one of the most successful professional baseball franchises, winning the first World Series and amassing five World Series titles thereafter.

After the sale, they went without a title for decades, while the previously lackluster Yankees became one of the most successful franchises in professional sports.

Similarly, the Fighting Sioux Curse began in 2001, when the Ralph Engelstad Arena was built and REA officials refused to let protesters against the nickname step onto arena property.

Before 2001, the UND hockey team won national championships in more than half of the past 13 Frozen Four tournaments in which they'd competed. Since 2001, Sioux men's hockey teams have competed in six Frozen Four tournaments and won no national championships.

Unfortunately, the Fighting Sioux Curse is not restricted to the UND men's hockey team. In 2007, the State Board of Higher Education entered into a three-year agreement with the NCAA. The curse then spread to the reservations of North Dakota (Standing Rock and Spirit Lake, primarily).

And we tribal members of these two reservations began to argue with each other and with anyone who disagreed with us.

The curse then moved to the Capitol in Bismarck. A recent Bismarck Tribune story, "Assessing the logo fallout on Dalrymple and Wayne Stenehjem," was anything but flattering about the state's two top officials.

Instead of portraying them as strong leaders in dealing with the constitutionality of HB1263, the story offered the sense that Gov. Jack Dalrymple and Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem were worried more about their political futures than about making honest and courageous decisions.

Curses usually treat those individuals who think they can outsmart or overcome the curse more severely than those who accept the curse. The first who tried to out think this curse was UND men's hockey coach Dave Hakstol.

Although it was against university policy, Hakstol helped organize a massive email campaign to influence the North Dakota Senate.

Alas, his team -- which was thought to be the best in a long time and certainly the best of the other three teams in the Frozen Four -- couldn't escape the curse and was defeated quite handily in its first match.

"They seem to be playing under water" was one comment used to describe the team's effort.

The second person who has learned that outwitting a curse is not easy was Rep. Al Carlson, majority leader of the North Dakota House. Getting the Fighting Sioux nickname passed into state law was to be Al's defining moment, perhaps propelling him into either the governor's office or the U.S. Congress. Instead, it is turning out to be his worst nightmare now that NCAA refused to meet with state officials.

The look on his face when he was told that NCAA was not going to show up at the meeting must have been priceless. It seems the words on the T-shirt that is hanging in his office -- "Fighting Sioux: It's the law" -- may be premature. The final wording may be "NCAA: Truth is not dictated by N.D. state law."

Do I believe in the curse? No, at least not in the way non-Indians believe in curses. I do believe in our Dakota spirituality, in which we believe lying is evil and will harm everyone associated with the lie if it is allowed to continue.

The use of the Fighting Sioux logo and nickname is based on a huge falsehood that is called honoring. This falsehood is the primary reason why the use of Fighting Sioux always will be cursed.

It never was intended to honor. It was intended to intensify rivalries, conjure up the "good old days" of cowboys and Indians and sell tickets.

Letter to NCAA

2011-04-20T00:09:40Z

Dr. Bernard Franklin (Executive Vice President)
The National Collegiate Athletic Association
700 W. Washington Street
P.O. Box 6222
Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-6222

April 11, 2011

Dear Dr. Franklin:

I am writing this letter on behalf of the 330+ Spirit Lake Oyate tribal members who voted against our tribe endorsing the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo when the issue was put before the tribe as a reservation-wide referendum. Although we lost the referendum, we are hoping to overturn it. Let me add, if another referendum were held today, I believe the results would be much closer, maybe even concluding in our favor.

Because our tribe does allow referendums, we have since collected 330 signatures - far more than is needed to force another election on the issue. However, this course of action is something we hope we don't have to pursue due to the dissention throughout the community another referendum will likely cause, as well as the expense it would incur on our already stretched tribal budget.

I earned and received three degrees from UND over the course of 20 years. During this time, I participated in many, many discussions with non-Indians concerning the logo. All the discussions were of a negative nature. The logo supporters did not bother to hide their dislike and contempt for me because I spoke out against the logo. They would commonly respond that I receive monthly checks from the government, that my education was free, and that I was blaming them for what their ancestors did. When this discussion took place in the classroom, it was usually at the beginning of the semester. As for the discussion outside of the classroom, when I failed to agree with pro-nickname/logo supporters' reasons for why they believed the logo was respectful toward Indians, I had to endure many forms of disrespect from my fellow students. This disrespect was demonstrated via innuendos, for example, when assignments required students to work in groups, no one wanted to partner with me when the situation called for it. Further, when placed in a group, I was ignored by my classmates when trying to contribute and participate. So I would respond with anger and contempt toward them. They soon learned to leave me alone - until the next semester and I would have to go through the whole thing again.

I witnessed and I was on the receiving end of many acts of disrespect toward Indians that were hidden or disguised through the use of the logo when I was at UND. (1) A lot of it was sneaky and underhanded. Most commonly, logo supporters would belittle Indians and reservations when I (we) was (were) in the vicinity. (2) As a result of a previously broken back, I walk with a severe limp. On one occasion while I was a student, I had parked my car at the administration building. My car had a handicap permit clearly displayed; however, when I came out, there was a parking violation/ticket on my windshield for illegally parking in a handicap spot. No big deal - right? When I took the ticket to the UND Parking Office, the employee who talked with me saw me walk in. Amazingly, after observing me walk and looking at my handicap permit, she still refused to remove the citation. However, I was just as stubborn. After about 10 minutes of discussion, she finally confessed that she had received a call from three young men who had observed me get out of my vehicle and run into the building. "Lady, I haven't run in close to 10 years," I told her. Eventually, but reluctantly, she realized she was wrong and removed the citation but I reported her anyway. I received a long, two-page letter of apology from the director of the Parking Office. But the damage was done. I was mistreated, disrespected, not trusted, and humiliated all because of a logo. It's also worth noting that the UND Parking Office has numerous Fighting Sioux logos/signage displayed, a strong indication of the office-wide support for a nickname and logo that is offensive to many, certainly me.

I persevered. I was not going to let the hard-core logo supporters run me out of UND. However, I saw many other Indian students who could not stand up to the enormous negative pressure created by the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo. They quit and went back to whatever reservation they were from. Every time an Indian student would quit because of the emotionally controversial logo, I would become angrier, which made me more determined than ever to fight against the nickname and logo.

Many tribal members who are pro-logo supporters have never stepped one foot in a UND classroom, they have never had to put up with racism spawned by the logo day in and day out, and they have not been ignored by fellow classmates when trying to work with them as a group like I have. Yet, they proclaim to be experts on how the logo honors us. On the other hand, there are about 20 UND graduates who are from Spirit Lake and at least 90% are against the logo due to how they were treated while at UND.

The racism spawned by the logo continues to affect me to this day. I play pool in GF every Friday night and often stop at the restaurant located on the outskirts of Grand Forks when finished playing pool. I remember vividly the first time I stopped there during a home hockey game. When I walked in, almost every eye turned to look at me. Most of the people were wearing Fighting Sioux garb of some kind. The hate I felt in their gaze was palpable. Man, I thought as I shook my head, these people are all wearing Fighting Sioux garb - yet when they see a real "Sioux" Indian, they have nothing to say; they only have hate toward him (me). I went in and sat down anyway. No one person in the room smiled, or said "hi" to me. Instead, they acted as if I had no right to be there with them on their Fighting Sioux night.

Please do not change your position on the use of Native American imagery in the NCAA.

Sincerely,

Erich Longie, Ed.D
President Spirit Lake Consulting