Photos from the party show female students wearing “Indian maiden” dresses, stitched up the side with fringe at the bottom, and feather headdresses. Some male students are naked in the photos except for underwear and brown
T-shirts wrapped around their waists as makeshift loincloths and red makeup smeared across their faces and chests.
A little news from our neighbor to the north: apparently somebody forgot to tell these charming UND students that that as 'Fighting Sioux' they're supposed to be honoring Native Americans. Now, I'm not going to say that the fact that UND has stubbornly refused to let go of a nickname that has been condemned by tribes, human rights groups, and UND students alike *caused* this behavior, but I think it's pretty clear that even basic race relations are beyond the grasp of these kids. And yet Native people are supposed to just trust that the whole thing is a big honor?
Seriously, UND. It's time to give in. What is the big friggin' deal?? I guess I'm missing what you're 'standing up for' here. What would really be lost, besides the animosity and disgust that's currently directed your way?
On an unrelated note, check out Cory's great response to Ken's response to the ongoing Tibet discussion.
Speaking of discussion, can I just say how not a fan I am of comment-free blogs? Comments are a chance to actually have a dialogue about an issue. Not everything deserves its own post and the 'point-counter point' style seems like a poor way to work out the finer points of an argument. Instead of a conversation, we're forced to yell at each other from opposite sides of a gorge. Would it be a stretch to suggest that the commentless blog is indicative of exactly what's wrong with our democracy? Probably. But it's still annoying.
1 comments:
I am currently a second year student at UND and let me say that from my experience here, most students do honor the Sioux nickname and Native Americans. I am in no way condoning the acts of the girls of Gamma Phi (I actually know some members of the sorority), but I also don't think it's fair to give the entire student body a bad name for this unfortunate incident. I attend as many hockey games as I can each season and occassionally some other sporting events and a video is shown at the beginning of each game explaining why we have the nickname "Fighting Sioux". I can tell you that it's not for anything but honor and the amazing qualities the Sioux name represents. You mentioned how we should just give in and ask "What is the big friggin' deal?". I guess it's just something you can't understand until you actually are a "Fighting Sioux". It's mostly a matter of pride....we students at UND are PROUD to have the nickname we do and in general do not feel in any way that we are "hostile and abusive". And don't intend to bring the Sioux nation a bad name or any dishonor.
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