The Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation is asserting authority over the "Fighting Sioux" nickname and logo of the University of North Dakota.

The tribe authorized a lawsuit in tribal court against UND, the North Dakota Board of Higher Education and the NCAA. It seeks the “right of license, use and merchandising of the Fighting Sioux name" on behalf of the tribe.

UND, the board and NCAA are non-Indian entities. “I have been practicing in tribal courts some 20 years, and I’m sure there will be disputes over jurisdiction," attorney Reed Soderstrom, who filed the case, told The Grand Forks Herald.

The board directed UND to retire the nickname by the end of the year. The NCAA has deemed the "Fighting Sioux" to be hostile and abusive.

Get the Story:
Spirit Lake: The fight for ‘Fighting Sioux’ continues (The Grand Forks Herald 9/7)

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