Erich Longie, Grand Forks Herald

Published Friday, October 03, 2008

FORT TOTTEN, N.D. -- What is wrong with Jody Hodgson, general manager of Ralph Engelstad Arena, and the Engelstad Arena people? Have they no sense of decency left in them?

I can understand their commitment to the late Engelstad, because they are being paid well. What I do not understand is why they want to drag a K-12 reservation school (Four Winds Community School) into the controversy over the Fighting Sioux nickname.

Children in K-12 grades are very impressionable. We adults should stick to the job of educating them instead of tricking them into taking a stand over a controversial issue by treating them to a hockey game.

Four Winds Community School is really two schools. K-8 is a tribal school, while grades 9-12 is a district school. The schools have their own governing boards and jointly own a $380,000 charter bus.

Spirit Lake pro-logo tribal members approached the boards with a request to use the bus to transport students and tribal members to the Oct. 5 event planned for Engelstad Arena. I am president of the district board, and in order to protect the school and students from the controversy, I opposed the idea of loaning our bus to pro-logo tribal members.

The two boards met on Sept. 28. Three members of the district board voted to deny the request, and the pro-logo tribal members will need to make other transportation arrangements.

To those tribal members who are participating in the Oct. 5 event, I ask these two questions: Who gave you the right to give permission for my tribe's flag to be displayed in the arena? Moreover, who gave you the right to sell our name?

I know the Dakota/Lakota/Nakota tribal members who comprise the great Sioux Nation and who oppose the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo did not give you permission to sell our name. Neither did Ron His Horse Is Thunder and Myra Pearson, chairpersons of Standing Rock and Spirit Lake respectively, a Herald story reported.

Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce said in protesting the sale of his tribe's land to the government: Suppose a white man should come to me and say, "Joseph, I like your horses. I want to buy them." I say to him, "No, my horses suit me; I will not sell them." Then he goes to my neighbor and says to him, "Joseph has some good horses. I want to buy them, but he refuses to sell." My neighbor answers, "Pay me the money and I will sell you Joseph's horses."

The white man returns to me and says, "Joseph, I have bought your horses, and you must let me have them." If we sold our lands to the government, this is the way they bought them.

Similarly, if Hodgson and the arena people obtained permission to fly our tribal flag and keep the nickname and logo, "... this is the way they bought them."

Erich Longie