BleedGopher
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per STrib:
Let’s start with the pronunciation. The “Ski” is pronounced “sky,” not “skee” like the winter sport. The “U” is pronounced as “you”, while the “Mah” is pronounced as you’d expect — no surprises there.
According to the U’s Marching Band Centennial Book, “Minnesota Hats Off to Thee,” rugby captain John Adams coined the phrase in 1884 after seeing a group of Dakota boys cheering on a canoe race and yelling, “Ski-Yoo!” the Dakota word for victory. Adams took a particular liking to the words, so he incorporated them into a song for the athletic teams. He added “Mah” so it rhymed with the traditional college fight song lyrics “rah, rah, rah.”
The university’s official website for the marching band expands on the phrase’s creation: “Mr. Adams, who was somewhat familiar with Indian life in his younger days, remembered that this cry was almost invariably used by young Indians when winning an athletic contest of any kind and that the Dakota children generally used this exclamation to express exultation or pleasure,” the website says.
“I don’t know that there’s been a ton of education about it. I know that our athletes know,” said Betsy McCann, director of athletic bands at the U. Outside the realm of athletics, students “were never really told about it,” she said.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
Let’s start with the pronunciation. The “Ski” is pronounced “sky,” not “skee” like the winter sport. The “U” is pronounced as “you”, while the “Mah” is pronounced as you’d expect — no surprises there.
According to the U’s Marching Band Centennial Book, “Minnesota Hats Off to Thee,” rugby captain John Adams coined the phrase in 1884 after seeing a group of Dakota boys cheering on a canoe race and yelling, “Ski-Yoo!” the Dakota word for victory. Adams took a particular liking to the words, so he incorporated them into a song for the athletic teams. He added “Mah” so it rhymed with the traditional college fight song lyrics “rah, rah, rah.”
The university’s official website for the marching band expands on the phrase’s creation: “Mr. Adams, who was somewhat familiar with Indian life in his younger days, remembered that this cry was almost invariably used by young Indians when winning an athletic contest of any kind and that the Dakota children generally used this exclamation to express exultation or pleasure,” the website says.
“I don’t know that there’s been a ton of education about it. I know that our athletes know,” said Betsy McCann, director of athletic bands at the U. Outside the realm of athletics, students “were never really told about it,” she said.
What does Ski-U-Mah mean and how do you pronounce it?
It's part of the popular fight song for the University of Minnesota, but many students and alumni don't know a whole lot about the history of the phrase.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
