Well, the same Indians also lived with gophers in the area — will the Univ. of Minnesota's Goldy Gopher have to go?

Minnesota middle-school is forbidden to use a bison as a mascot because … Indians?

JOHN HINDERAKER, POWERLINE:

Under recently-enacted legislation, a unanimous vote of the “Tribal Nations Education Committee,” purporting to represent 11 tribes, is necessary to permit a “name, symbol, or image that depicts or refers to an American Indian Tribe, individual, custom, or tradition to be used as a mascot.” Well maybe, but a buffalo?

Rochester’s Dakota Middle School will have to change its mascot before September of 2025, after the district’s appeal to keep its Bison mascot was denied by tribal leaders across the state.

The school, which opened in 2022, chose the name Bison after working with the American Indian Parent Advisory Committee. The school’s Bison logo was created by a native artist.

The school is one of more than two dozen that Minnesota’s Department of Education says might need to change mascot names to meet Minnesota’s new law, which prevents schools from adopting a name, symbol, or image that depicts or refers to an American Indian Tribe, individual, custom, or tradition to be used as a mascot.

14 schools, including Dakota Middle School, appealed to Minnesota’s Tribal Nations Education Committee. State law states all 11 tribes on the committee need to unanimously vote for a mascot to stay in place which happened at least once when the Warroad Warriors retained their name. The Warriors of Wheaton Area Schools, however, must also change their mascot.

So whether you can be the Warriors depends on….something. But the bottom line is that this new middle school in Rochester can’t name its teams the Bison. How can that possibly make any sense? Apparently no one wants to say:

Minnesota State Senator Mary Kunesh, who was the lead author for the law, declined an on-camera interview and declined to provide a statement about school name changes.

Minnesota’s Department of Education also declined to provide a statement and could not provide information on rulings for schools that had appealed name changes.

Minnesota’s Tribal Native Education Committee also declined to provide a statement as to how a district that worked with native leaders to create a school mascot could still be forced to change names under the new law.

Rochester Public Schools declined further comment on how much a name change will cost, or where that money will come from.

It’s a great democracy we live in! An unelected committee gets to decide whether a bunch of middle school kids can call their teams the Bison, and if you have any questions about that process, forget it: not a single elected official feels obligated to explain. Presumably because the decision is so Goddamned stupid that no one dares try to defend it.

NO BULL

back to the reservation for you, chump