THE DEMISE OF THE FIGHTING SIOUX.....

Charles Trimble, Oglala Lakota, was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He was principal founder of the American Indian Press Association, and served as Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians from 1972-1978. He is retired and lives in Omaha, Nebraska. He can be reached at cchuktrim@aol.com. His website is iktomisweb.com. In the furnished apartment where my wife and I lived when we were first married back in 1962, there was a large framed print of a god-awful painting that hung on the wall behind our couch. I detested the picture and would spend several moments cursing it every evening when I came home from work. My wife suggested I take it down if it bothered me so much, which I did. However, in a short time - a couple of days - I began to miss the painting. I no longer had something to help me to blow off steam from the day's frustrations. So I hung it back up and things were fine.

That's what I feel is going to happen now that the Fighting Sioux no longer lives on the campus of the University of North Dakota, nor in the cellar of whatever conference UND plays in. I'm going to miss the Fighting Sioux, and Indian newspapers are going to find much empty space, especially on their op-ed pages.

Now comes the interesting process of selecting a new name and mascot for the University. I had suggested before that Mad Russians or Bouncing Czechs might be more representative of the demographics of the state, or perhaps the Terrible Swedes. North Dakota State already has the mascot and name Bison, which someone has already charged was exploitation of an icon sacred to most Plains tribes, and suggested should be the cause of the next PC war.

Someone from Rosebud suggested a long time ago that UND just adopt the name Fighting Little Snakes. The word Sioux is derived from the Chippewa word Nadoweesiou, which means lesser adder, or little snake. The name Fighting Little Snakes would be at least a symbolic victory for the Fighting Sioux diehards. But while they're sulking and grumbling about us pesky savages, let's give them some assistance. Let's help them find another name.

High schools are a source of some clever names, my favorite being the team of the little Montana town of Belfry. You guessed it, they're the Bats. And Papillion High School here in Nebraska was very clever in selecting the name Monarchs. The word papillion is French for butterfly, but let's face it, a team averaging 300 lbs on the offensive line should not be called the Butterflies. However, the suburban Omaha's Benson High has taken the name Bunnies, and regularly turns out monster material for the Nebraska Huskers football team. And the University of Nebraska itself went by the name of Bug-eaters for years before they adopted the more mundane moniker, Cornhuskers. Most fans out here have shucked the word corn off the name and just call them Huskers, which sounds less rural and more virile. When they start winning again, they'll again be the Big Red.

In the NFL, I think Washington could take a lesson from Baltimore, whose mascot ought to get some prize for originality and imagination, let alone their literary pride. Their team name, Ravens, is derived from the bird in the poem by the city's favorite son, Edgar Allen Poe. But those damn Redskins in Washington just keep flipping us the bird and paying off judges to keep their ugly and hateful name.

Back to the University of North Dakota: I have never felt offended by their name Fighting Sioux. And I think there are many Lakotas, Dakotas and Nakotas, both on the UND campus and elsewhere, who feel as I do about it. It is an apt name, and if you want proof just go to a Council meeting on any reservation in North or South Dakota. It anything, the name is a redundancy. I think UND betrayed the title, for if they were really like the Fighting Sioux, they would still be sporting the name.

The process of finally consulting the tribes, and even bringing the issue to a vote on the reservations was the right thing to do, and would have proven most interesting. And a good negotiator on the tribes' side could have gained much in scholarships and programs for Native students as a trade-off for using the name. The close-order shrill teams put up such a ruckus and work to get other young people -- who are too busy being students to notice -- properly sensitized and resentful. These young folks and their aging mentors are disappearing Native America off the map faster than the US Government ever could with their warfare, boarding schools, missionaries, and relocation programs.

Oh well, what is past is past. But, I still would like to hear from readers with suggestions for a new name for the North Dakota folk up at their University. Think about it: What is North Dakota noted for? With the flattest topography on the continent, it is the wind, of course. How about the name "Blowing Wind?" Or perhaps "Breaking Wind?" The natural motto would be "Wind Power," which is so "in" these days. With that image and perhaps a million-dollar honorarium, they might even get Father Nature Al Gore to give a commencement address.

Send me your suggestions for names for good old UND. Send them to me at Cchuktrim@aol.com or the Blog on my website: iktomisweb.com.