Life's lessons are sometimes hard to learn. Take for instance the Gamma Phi Beta girls at the University of North Dakota, who are now on probation after a party in which people attending dressed as Indians.

The sorority sisters were ill-advised to allow those in attendance at the "fall fun date party" to mock Natives by, among other things, men wearing self-interpretative topless and near-bottomless costumes, headbands and feathers and overly smeared-painted bodies.

What were they thinking? Especially after all the controversy over the school's Fighting Sioux nickname and Indian head logo.

The problem was they were not thinking.

Let's set aside the rhetoric about it being a "Cowboy and Indian-themed" party and UND's president vowing "appropriate action" after a review, which is needed. The sharpest focus now should be on the racial insensitivity displayed and how to turn this into a "teaching moment."

The Beta mission is "to foster a nurturing environment that provides women the opportunity to achieve their potential through life-long commitment to intellectual growth, individual worth and service to humanity."

We hope they believe that should be extended to all women, not just sorority sisters.

An "appropriate action" would be to have them read "The Rabbit and the Elk," by Marie L. McLaughlin in "Myths and Legends of the Sioux." Then assign the young women to write significant essays about what they learned.

There is much that can be learned from Native storytelling. This particular story speaks on many levels with application to many people; most important, we believe, to the value of clear thinking to avoid inappropriate results, and to the reality of how a bad "joke" can be harmful.

"The Rabbit and the Elk"

The little rabbit lived with his old grandmother, who needed a new dress. "I will go out and trap a deer or an elk for you," he said. "Then you shall have a new dress."

When he went out hunting, he laid down his bow in the path while he looked at his snares. An elk coming by saw the bow.

"I will play a joke on the rabbit," said the elk to himself. "I will make him think I have been caught in his bow string." He then put one foot on the string and lay down as if dead.

By and by the rabbit returned. When he saw the elk he was filled with joy and ran home crying: "Grandmother, I have trapped a fine elk. You shall have a new dress from his skin. Throw the old one in the fire!"

This the old grandmother did.

The elk now sprang to his feet laughing. "Ho, friend rabbit," he called, "You thought to trap me; now I have mocked you." And he ran away into the thicket.

The rabbit who had come back to skin the elk now ran home again. "Grandmother, don't throw your dress in the fire," he cried. But it was too late. The old dress was burned.