the Thunderbird

“We’ve really looked at these opportunities to be more actively involved, to create that awareness but also to be there as support. We have a voice, and we want to recognize the important role our tribe plays in our community but also the important role that this partnership and [this legacy] can play in our community,” said Parashonts. He feels fortunate to play a part in expanding the reach and impact of their tribe within the university and to strengthen this important bond between the two.

The university has shown commitment to this partnership with the Southern Paiutes and continues to honor their people and their homelands through dedicated efforts towards inclusion and diversity. SUU has released a Land Acknowledgment Statement, declaring, “SUU wishes to acknowledge and honor the Indigenous communities of this region as original possessors, stewards, and inhabitants of this Too’veep (land), and recognize that the University is situated on the traditional homelands of the Nung’wu (Southern Paiute People).”

In the fall of 2022, then president-tobe Mindy Benson contacted the tribe and asked them to participate in her inauguration ceremony. Travis Parashonts performed a traditional Southern Paiute blessing over the president in a beautiful show of support and solidarity between the tribe and the school.

Shortly after, in the fall semester, a twoday conference was held on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 with the goal to educate community members about Southern Paiute language and culture. The Fall Gathering was the first event of its kind, where tribe members and SUU faculty came together to discuss community development and diversity.

The university offers courses in many departments centered around Native American culture. Students can take Native American history, culture and literature classes through the history, anthropology and English departments, respectively.

The special collections department of SUU’s library houses artifacts, photographs and documents preserving the history of the tribe on campus. They have created exhibits to display these artifacts and have worked closely with the tribe on these projects.

The Southern Paiute tribal flag hangs in the Hall of Flags in the Sharwan Smith Student Center among other flags representing nations all over the world. “Recognizing us as a sovereign nation and as a community partner — that means a lot,” said Parashonts.

Even the university’s mascot, the Thunderbird, comes from legends of Indigenous peoples. The university’s original mascot was the Bronco until 1960 when a change was proposed and students and faculty submitted their suggestions for a student vote: the Iron Men, the Falcons and the Thunderbirds.

According to a 1961 edition of the College of Southern Utah newspaper, the Thunderbird was proposed as a “strong, mighty, powerful, good and friendly” symbol that represented the school’s values and recognized the Native American people and this sacred symbol. After four months of deliberation, this “sacred bearer of happiness” was chosen as the university mascot, as it remains today.

When asked for his message to the SUU community, Parashonts encouraged people to learn more about the tribe itself. “One of the first things we want everyone to know is we are here. There is a tribe that is located in Cedar City,” said Parashonts. “There is a lot of uniqueness and special qualities about the tribe that we love sharing with our community. We are a sovereign nation; we govern ourselves. There is a lot that can be learned from the tribe, and we are here to help share and tell that story.”

Parashonts hopes that students recognize that the beautiful land they stand on while walking on campus is filled with deep history, culture, traditions, spirituality and connectedness — these things are parts of the legacy that the Southern Paiutes have preserved, even through great suffering. We are, as he puts it, “stewards of the land, of each other and of our communities.”

The Southern Paiute tribe has endured much that has stained the history of Cedar City. Through the sacrifices their ancestors made, the Southern Paiutes have continued to exemplify the characteristics of the Thunderbird for which SUU’s mascot was named. They are “strong, mighty, powerful, good and friendly,” and SUU continues to reap the benefits of the Southern Paiutes’ love for this land. As the school and the tribe continue to grow, both hope to maintain this relationship of mutual support and teach students about the history of the land on which SUU was built.

-Written by Lily Brunson