Ski-U-Mah ( /ˌskaɪ.juː.ˈmɑː/, SKY-yoo-MAH) is a slogan used at the University of Minnesota since 1884.
U of M Rugby captain John Adams had heard Sioux boys yell "ski-yoo!" when they won canoe races on Lake Pepin. He incorrectly interpreted that phrase as the Sioux word for victory, or exultation and suggested it as a cheer for the University rugby team. A co-captain added the "mah" to make it rhyme with "rah" and created "Ski-U-Mah!" The slogan has been used to cheer on the Minnesota Golden Gophers athletics teams, and was written into the lyrics of University songs including the "Minnesota Rouser", "Go Gopher Victory", "Minnesota Fight" and "Minnesota March".
Dakota–Lakota specialists state that the word "Ski-U" or "Ski-yoo" or "Ski-oo" are not Sioux victory cries or the Sioux word for winning. What Adams heard on Lake Pepin, "sky-yoo," may have just been an interjection, similar to "woo hoo."
Other Dakota-Lakota words or phrases that have been suggested for what Adams heard include:
The slogan has had other uses at the University through the years. In the mid-20th century, Ski-U-Mah (magazine) was a U of M humor magazine. It is currently used on the football team's helmets and jerseys, as the name of a meeting room at the McNamara Alumni Center, a campus tailgate lot/parking lot near TCF Bank Stadium, and as the title of a yearbook-style publication published by the Minnesota Daily.