SPIRIT LAKE TRIBE

PO Box 359 Fort Totten, ND 58335 PHONE: 701-766-4221 FAX: 701766-4126

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Frank Black Cloud (701) 351-1057 frankbc@spiritlakenation.com

Official Statement Issued by the Spirit Lake Nation to Fighting Sioux Name, Logo Opponents

FT. TOTTEN, ND The Spirit Lake Sioux Nation, through its Committee for Understanding and Respect, which has been duly appointed by the Tribal Council to act on their behalf regarding the Fighting Sioux name and logo, issued an official statement today to several parties who have been conducting an ongoing assault against the use of the name and logo by the University of North Dakota. UND, the ND State Board of Higher Education, the Big Sky Conference, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and all other parties who continue to act against our honorable name as given to UND by our ancestors were advised to expect consequences far more severe than any sanctions UND claims will exist by keeping our name should they continue in their present activities aimed at removing the use of the Fighting Sioux name and logo by UND. The statement also took Higher Ed Board President Grant Shaft to task for comments he made in a Grand Forks Herald article regarding Notre Dames lack of admission to the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference, of which UND is a member. Shaft was reported as saying he believed Notre Dames recent decision to affiliate with Hockey East and not the NCHC was due in part to UND's being on sanctions because of the ongoing nickname fight. In reality, according to College Hockey News, it was the NCHC who chose not to admit Notre Dame due to an existing television contract. The statement said This is yet another example of the game of Truth or Consequences the State Board of Higher Ed, UND, and other Fighting Sioux name opponents have been playing. There is the real truth, and then there are those things they wish us all to believe are consequences. Since we have never been allowed into the discussions about our ancestors gift to UND our name we have no choice but to go with the truths we know, and we know our proud name has not hurt UND for over 80 years. To suggest otherwise is hostile and abusive, and borders on racism. The taxpayers of North Dakota deserve better from the leaders of Higher Education overseeing our public institutions. Unfortunately, they appear to want to twist anything in their assault against our name. We cannot trust their word on any of the supposed sanctions our name may bring UND, especially in light of the statement made by Mr. Shaft.

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Spirit Lake Nation sees Shafts statements on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as the latest in a chain of misleading assertions surrounding the Fighting Sioux debate, with the intent of falsely shaping wrong conclusions aimed at scaring the public away from the Sioux name and logo. The Spirit Lake Nation also pointed out in the statement that the only hurt which may come to UND is because of a flawed policy and the stubbornness of the NCAA in refusing to admit it is wrong in issuing it. They promised to persist in opposing UND's, or any other parties, efforts to dishonor their nation through ongoing efforts to discard their namesake. They have also recently launched an educational website, www.savethefightingsioux.com, to inform the public on the truth surrounding the name and logo.

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(A copy of the full statement is enclosed)