RIP Fighting Sioux

     I liked the points that were brought up in the "In Whose Honor?" clip. The use of native american mascots for schools is a big issue. Not all of these schools, but quite a few make a mockery of native american people and their traditions. In the clip, examples of misrepresentation that were pointed out included the chants, face paint, and negative connotations or actions tied to the school's celebration of their mascot. I feel that these schools should consider these negative stereotypes that they may or may not be perpetuating. If their mascot's image or name is offensive or they are unable to honor their indigenous mascot without invoking negative stereotypes, then I feel these schools should choose another mascot.
    In the case of the University of North Dakota and their 'Fighting Sioux' mascot change controversy, I'm a little sad to see the change. I play ice hockey myself, and like many people familiar with the sport, the UND Fighting Sioux are a GOOD college hockey team. Arguably the best. Just last year one of their former players, now best American born hockey player in the NHL today, Kane and fellow UND teammate Jonathan Toews together won a Stanley Cup last year for the Chicago Blackhawks. Which is ironic when you think about how they both played for the UND Fighting Sioux and they play for the Blackhawks. Toews is now the youngest captain in the entire NHL, making history, and UND groomed him for a successful professional career. Like myself I know a lot of American hockey players who would love to play for UND, and compete each year for a national championship in their multimillion dollar facility. UND's ice hockey team is the major sport program at that school and their multi-championship team has generated a lot of recognition; and revenue of 'Fighting Sioux' merchandise is definitely going to be missed by the school when they officially change the name next season. I understand the NCAA's concern over the use of Native American mascots, but I feel like the 'Fighting Sioux' name and mascot is not negative, mascots themselves are stylized characters that portray a group of people, and their mascot is not nearly as offensive as several other major school's and even pro team's mascot images. Supposedly the origin of the Fighting Sioux came about because of UND's rivalry with neighboring North Dakota State 'Bisons'. The 'Fighting Sioux' name was intended to honor the warrior Sioux hunters who were skilled at killing buffalo. Several major colleges today who are facing similar mascot controversy, like Notre Dame and the 'Fighting Irish', have a similar mascot origin that is intended to celebrate and honor a a group of people while inspiring school spirit and teaching history. Its important to be aware of the concerns that Native American people have with mascots that negatively portray their people or traditions. A lot of these offensive mascots are outdated and times have changed now and more schools and professional teams should follow this positive trend and create a new image or revise a more respectful mascot out of respect. I do feel bad for the school of UND for being targeted by the NCAA in regards to this issue. there are a lot other high profile colleges that should have been targeted as well. There's a lot of politics involved with the NCAA and their college sports programs, and I  wonder if other schools undergoing the same mascot criticism whose power house team is a more 'popular' sport weren't targeted, because they generate more money for the NCAA, than say the college ice hockey program. It's a business and not very consistent or fair in general. A lot of schools lately are dropping sports programs because of the superior interest in favored sports like basketball or football. Ice hockey is always one of the first sports to go because ice maintenance is so costly. I feel like if UND was required to change their mascot, than other major schools and even pro teams should change their offensive mascots, regardless of how popular their powerhouse sports program is or how much money it makes. I do not believe that NCAA should get involved in these issues though. All it does is bring their business interests into the situation and this does not wholeheartedly keep in mind the interests of the Native American people or the independent school whose mascot represents them.

(For the homies..)

Fighting Sioux Logo Response

LBARTA said: "I have been a proud supporter of the Fighting Sioux for many years. I believe the nickname is treated in a proud and respectful way. You may hear from an opponent’s fans an occasional “Sioux suck” or something to that effect, but who hasn’t said “Gophers suck” or “Badgers suck”. I haven’t heard PETA complain about that, yet. Why isn’t the Fighting Irish hostile or abusive? Have the Irish given their permission. Maybe if people would get a little thicker skin and grow a pair they wouldn’t be so offended. I think that if the Standing Rock Sioux people would be allowed to vote, they too, like the Spirit Lake Sioux, would overwhelming approve of UND’s continued use of the nickname. But, the Standing Rock Tribal Council will not allow the people to be heard."


I decided to respond to this blogged response, because I feel it sums up my beliefs on indigenous team names/logos. I believe that the University specifically chose to honor the Sioux nation, by choosing 'Fighting Sioux' as their school mascot. I feel they chose this name to honor the tribe's history and inspire their students and athletic teams to be competitive in the spirit of the Sioux. I feel it was very wrong for the NCAA to require that the school change their mascot and remove the logos on campus. "Fighting Sioux" is not racist nor does it perpetuate a negative stereotype. I'm more concerned with team names like "Redskins", which I feel is just racist.    The biggest factors that should go into the consideration of removing an indigenous name from a school should be;
a.) The name is racist and perpetuates a negative stereotype.
b.) The logo is racist and depicts Native Americans in a stereotypical way(redskin, over sized mischievous eyes and large smirking almost sinister smile). 


The "fighting Sioux" name does not fit any of the criteria above and I feel the NCAA has zero right to demand the school change their logo. Changing the logo will do more harm than opting to leave the logo. As it is now, the name nor the recognizable logo are racist or are depicted stereotypically in a negative manner. 

visual layers

 Joy Harjo's "Anchorage" poem was filled with a lot of imagery pertaining to changing landscape and the urban environment/experience. In the beginning lines of the poem, Joy contrasts the changed past landscape of Anchorage and the new urban city scape. She visually describes historical acts of nature which have shaped Anchorage's landscape, glaciers and the 1964 earthquake. "It hasn't always been this way, because glaciers ... create oceans, carve earth and shape the city here. When reading the first few stanzas I get a visual image of the different layered landscapes that have made up the city of Anchorage. Attention is drawn to the past landscape and people, the current urban city and the consideration for the future landscape to come. The original landscape she describes as "There are Chugatch Mountains to the east and whale and seal to the west." The image of this space she creates is centered around nature and the next lines describe how nature has changed the landscape. She goes on to describe a temporary urban layer that exists presently. "Once a storm of boiling earth cracked open the streets, threw open the town. It's quiet now, but underneath the concrete is the cooking earth." Here the current urban landscape is depicted as a temporary landscape that will eventually change in the future as a result of nature. In the following stanzas the author and Nora's experience inside the urban city is depicted. These two recognize the present landscape, understand the future landscape will change, and remember the past layers of the landscape. "Nora and I go walking down 4th Avenue and know it is all happening." Nora uses the imagery of a homeless woman to describe the present layer and she and Nora identify her as someone's grandmother who is an indigenous person, and should be culturally and historically  tied to the past layer and she today she lives on the same land which has changed as a result of layering landscapes. "On a park bench we see someone's Athabascan grandmother." The imagery created in the poem describes how the different layers of history and forces of nature have shaped the landscape to make it what it is today, and ultimately new layers will reshape it again. Joy and Nora in the poem recognize the past layers of culture that exist in the present landscape and she makes note to reference the future landscape to a dream, "And know that our dreams don't end here,.." all as a way to create a visual image of the layers that make up the landscape.