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)
