CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington football travels to play South Dakota this week and both teams will be wearing helmets featuring Indigenous languages for the first time in a Division I football game.
EWU’s decal has the Salish phrase of “uł pql̓qeyn” which translates to a “group of eagles.”
USD’s helmet decals read Sungmanitu, which is Lakota for Coyote, as well as a design along the top that represents the Oceti Sakowin, more commonly known as the Seven Council Fires.
The Eagles partnered with the Kalispel Tribe and Northern Quest Resort & Casino to create the “uł pql̓qeyn” decals.
The game kicks off at 11 a.m. Pacific Time from The DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D.
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