The Trouble with Boomer Sooner
Author’s Note: I am a Citizen of The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and a student at the University of Oklahoma. Opinions expressed here are solely and completely my own, and I make no attempt to represent any entity other than myself.
Iconic to the University of Oklahoma and the State of Oklahoma as a whole, the phrase “Boomer Sooner” has recently come under fire. Several student organizations at OU have removed the word “Sooner” from their names, resulting in controversy. At the heart of this controversy is a lack of historical education surrounding the terms “Boomer” and “Sooner” as well as affection for the School and State they currently represent. Because of the lack of historical knowledge and disconnect between those wishing to do away with “Boomer Sooner” and those wishing to keep it, it is necessary that the historical context and modern effects of the phrase be explained.
Before the words themselves are explained, some background is needed. In the 1830s Indigenous tribes began being removed from ancestral homelands. Specifically, the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee (Creek), Cherokee, and Seminole Tribes were forcibly removed from the Southeastern United States onto land in what is now Oklahoma. It is important to note that this removal occurred with the express purpose of allowing white settlers to move onto Indigenous lands. This was motivated by the desire to “civilize” Indigenous people and force them to adopt the lifestyle of the white man. This is unquestionably colonialist and racist, as the white policymakers of the time thought it obvious that their culture and way of life were inherently superior to those of Indigenous peoples.
After the Civil War, despite not being the only tribes that supported the confederacy, the Creek and Seminole tribes were forced into new treaties with the United States Government. These treaties ceded land in the middle of the Indian Territory, and these became the “Unassigned Lands.” However, the tribes still retained a legal interest in the land, given that settlement of the land would open the door to further colonization of tribal land. In the late 1870s and 1880s, white settlers became increasingly interested in occupying the unassigned lands in the middle of Indian territory, in what is known as the boomer movement. Some even advocated for the dissolution of tribal governments and another removal to open the land to white settlers. To white settlers, this represented new opportunity and new lands to make profitable, but to Indigenous people, this represented further incursion into their lands, increased potential for further removal, continued cultural erasure, and exploitation of the land. Over the course of this time period, the United States had to remove settlers from the unassigned lands as they continued to encroach on Indian land. After years of resistance from the tribes, the United States government finally allowed the settlement of the unassigned lands in the land rush of 1889. Those advocating for the opening of the land were known as Boomers, after the Boomer movement, while those who illegally entered the lands early to claim the most desirable plots were known as Sooners, as they had entered the land sooner than was allowed.
In modern contexts, many have forgotten or ignore the history behind “Boomer” and “Sooner” and instead think of the whole phrase “Boomer Sooner” as a way to express school pride. To pretend these words no longer have connections to harmful colonialist movements is true erasure of history. The modern usage of “Boomer” and “Sooner” ignores these words connections to a movement that significantly contributed to the destruction of Indigenous cultures, even if it is only one small link in a long chain of abuses against Indigenous people. This is why many advocate against the use of these words. They do not presently cause physical damage to us or our land, but they do invoke historical trauma for many Indigenous people. They are not slurs against us, but rather serve as glorification of those who at worst actively sought to erase the cultures of Indigenous people or at best were indifferent to Indigenous people, rendered them no aid, and took the land for their own profit.
All of this does not mean that using the terms boomer and sooner necessarily makes one a bad person. It does not mean that the University of Oklahoma must immediately get rid of all references to the words. I cannot speak for all Indigenous people, but I would personally say that boomer and sooner are not necessarily offensive, as offense is fairly subjective, but they are objectively insensitive. While I would personally like to see the terms phased out, I also think it is important to educate people about the history surrounding those words. I believe that if more people were able to see how the boomer movement hurt Indigenous people and resulted in cultural suppression and erasure, more people would want “Boomer Sooner” replaced. It is perfectly understandable to want to hold on to an iconic identifying symbol or tradition, but tradition is not exclusive to the past. New traditions can begin in the present. It is never too late to begin new traditions and there is no shame in changing traditions to make them more inclusive. In fact, newer, more inclusive traditions will bring more people into the OU community, and an OU community that more people can enjoy is an objectively good thing.
