Anthony Herbert's (Fargo In-Forum letter-to-the-editor, August 9, 2005) recent comparison of the Fighting Irish and the Fighting Sioux brings up an old question, one I am familiar with because of long time associations with both of those UNDs. I would like to address that comparison both as a graduate of Notre Dame and a thirty four year faculty member at University of North Dakota.

The most important distinction between the two UND's fighting mascots has to do with power. The Irish Americans of Notre Dame have it; Indians do not, not very much, certainly not in comparison with assimilated Irish Americans. Notre Dame's Irish were involved in the choosing of their moniker many scores of years ago; North Dakota's Indians were not. The Irish, America's earliest, poorest Catholics--they were called "shanty Irish"--have attended Notre Dame by the tens of thousands now, finding there and in business, the professions and politics at every level, legendary successes. I don't know how many Irish-American professors, deans, presidents and administrators of every stripe there have been at Notre Dame, but it would take only a few minutes to count the native professors and staff at Grand Forks' UND. And there never has been an Indian dean in Grand Forks, much less an Indian in higher office.

Moreover, unlike the Irish, who came to this country "seeking opportunity," as the cliche goes, Indian peoples are still very much seeking it. The opportunity the Irish took, once King Philip's War had nearly exterminated the Pequots, was in large measure at Indian expense. Notre Dame is in a state whose very name, Indiana, alludes to the people who died or fled further west to provide those "opportunities."by which European Americans were able to do so well. The taking of their name itself, then using it to symbolize savagery and fierce athletic "fighting" continues the conquest.

To the victor belongs not only the spoils, but even the right to how the vanquished are to be seen and to name themselves, how they are to be portrayed in the conquering culture.

Power also explains, in part, why the issue has not come forward more forcefully until recent years. When there were few or no Indians on campus to object, when Indians were still being sent to boarding schools to, in the words of the founder of the first Indian school, "kill the Indian and save the man," they were not in any position to voice opposition, or even to notice, "The Fighting Sioux." The same circumstances prevented well-intentioned whites from recognizing the problem then either.

No matter how dignified and sincere any institution taking Indian mascots, nicknames, imagery for their own use may be, it cannot reverse the power relationship, undo the history, or control how others will exploit that stereotype.

Many voices are now raised calling for an appeal to NCAA about their ruling; a part of me wishes that would happen. It would be a healthy thing for the whole community to see the evidence that went into their decision. And while we are at it, let's look at the mountains of evidence the North Central Association's accreditation team took into consideration more than a year ago when it strongly urged North Dakota's Board of Higher Education to drop the name because, "ultimately, the University of North Dakota is too good an instruction, and its leadership to important to the State of North Dakota, to let this issue continue to weakened its performance and impede its full development."

Sincerely

James McKenzie
1598 Berkeley Ave.
Saint Paul, MN 55105
651-698-4968