Fort Yates, North Dakota (AP) March 2010

Members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe who support the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux nickname have collected 850 signatures on a petition to bring the matter to a vote on the reservation.

The group intended to collect 600 signatures by mid-February, but missed the deadline and continued circulating the petition.

Archie Fool Bear told the Grand Forks Herald that the signatures would be turned over to the tribal council, along with a request for a vote within 90 to 120 days.

Under a settlement with the NCAA, the state Board of Higher Education and UND agreed to begin retiring the Fighting Sioux nickname Nov. 30 if they couldn’t obtain permission from the Spirit Lake and Standing Rock Sioux tribes to continue using it.

Spirit Lake tribal members have voted to support the nickname, but Standing Rock hasn’t shown interest in changing its bylaws to allow a vote on the issue.

Some Spirit Lake Sioux members also have sued over the possible retirement of the nickname. That lawsuit is before the state Supreme Court.

The state Board of Higher Education ultimately will decide the nickname’s fate. The board decided last month not to rule on it until the high court weighs in.

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