Chief Illiniwek

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The Chief Illiniwek symbol
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The Chief Illiniwek symbol

Chief Illiniwek is an official symbol of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that has been associated with the University's intercollegiate athletic program since the Twenties. The Chief has generally been portrayed by a white student dressed in Native American regalia who performs dances during halftime of Illinois football and basketball games, as well as during women's volleyball matches (although two students of Hispanic descent, Mike Gonzalez and Steve Raquel, have also portrayed Illiniwek). In recent years, the Chief has been the center of a controversy. At root of the controversy is the view by many Native Americans and others that the symbol is a misappropriation of indigenous cultural figures and rituals and the perpetuation of stereotypes about Native American peoples. As a result of this controversy, the NCAA termed Chief Illiniwek as a "hostile and abusive" symbol, and banned the university from hosting postseason activities as long as it continues to use the symbol.

Chief Illiniwek himself and the Chief Illiniwek logo — a stylized front view of a Native American face and headdress — are trademarks of the University. Licensed use of the logo by the university has been increasingly restrictive as a result of the ongoing controversy.

Chief Illiniwek is sometimes referred to as the university's mascot, though the university's Board of Trustees and its supporters have insisted that "symbol" is the appropriate label. The beginning of the Chief Illiniwek tradition predated the common use of mascots in college sports.

During sporting events, the Chief is portrayed by a student selected via audition and wearing a traditional Titonwan (Lakota) regalia sold to the University marching band by Chief Frank Fools Crow. The portrayal also includes a dance of unknown origins, possibly adapted from early 20th century fancy dancing via the Boy Scouts (see History, below). His dance corresponds to the music and lyrics of the "Three in One" performed by the university band, which is an arrangement of three original songs entitled "The March of the Illini," "Hail to the Orange," and "Pride of the Illini." The Chief performs only at major sporting events hosted by the University. The stated intent of the Chief is to celebrate the Native American heritage of the state of Illinois.

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[edit] History

The origin of the Chief dates to 1926, when Ray Dvorak, assistant director of bands at the University of Illinois, conceived the idea of having a Native American war dance performed during halftime of Illinois football games. The first performance occurred on October 30, 1926, during the halftime of a game against the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. At the conclusion of his performance, he was met at midfield by a drum major dressed as the University of Pennsylvania Quaker mascot, offered a peace pipe, and walked off the field arm in arm. Student Lester Leutwiler created the original costume and performed the dance based upon his studies as an Eagle Scout. The expression Illiniwek (meaning "the complete human being - the strong, agile human body, and the indomitable human spirit") was first used in conjunction with the University of Illinois football team by football coach Bob Zuppke, referring to the Illiniwek Confederation of Native Americans who had historically inhabited much of present-day Illinois.

Another student, A. Webber Borchers, solidified the tradition, continuing the performances and soliciting contributions for a permanent costume in 1930. Since then, the costume has been replaced several times, most recently in 1982. The current costume was sold to the University marching band by Frank Fools Crow, chief of the Oglala Sioux (a nation unrelated to the Illiniwek), after being sewn by his wife. Because eagle feathers are sacred to Native Americans, and because they come from a protected species, the feathers in the headdresses worn by the Chief are dyed turkey feathers. The symbol and mascot have the support of the Oglala Sioux[citation needed] while the actual descendants of the Illiniwek oppose the Chief (see Controversy, below).

Chief Illiniwek's dance was derived from "Indian Lore" studies done by university students who had been Boy Scouts. Said organization, then and now, works to preserve elements of Native American culture. It is based on fancy dance, a style that originated in the Great Plains as a means of to providing a more secular display than purely sacred dancing, and which is practiced today by many Native Americans at pow-wows. The dance has evolved over time; each student who performs the role of the Chief augments the basic performance with his own movements and steps. Although it is claimed the dance is similar to a fancy dance, the Chief's routine includes mid-air splits, which are rarely found in Native fancy dance. Only the music has remained unchanged, with the Chief always performing to the "Three in One." In the 1990s, literature distributed by the University ceased describing the dance as "authentic."

Since 1926 a total of 35 different students have performed the role of the Chief. All but one have been men: one woman, Idelle Stith Brooks, served in 1943 due to the shortage of male students during World War II; she was called "Princess Illiniwek." To date, none of the performers has been a Native American.

[edit] Controversy

Since the mid-1970s, the Chief has been the subject of debate at the University of Illinois.[1] Protests began in 1989 when Charlene Teters, a graduate student from the Spokane tribe, began protesting the Chief at athletic events after her young son and daughter's reaction to the Chief's dance at a basketball game. [2] Soon, individuals and organizations, some from outside of the University, began to support the Chief's elimination. Some academic departments have adopted official stances in favor of retirement of the symbol. External organizations including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Education Association, Amnesty International, the Modern Language Association, and Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas have also taken positions in favor of retiring the Chief.[3]

Student and alumni organizations, such as the Honor the Chief Society and Chief Illiniwek Educational Foundation, are dedicated to explaining and preserving the tradition of Chief Illiniwek.

Among the national Native American organizations calling for the retirement of the symbol are the National Congress of American Indians and the National Indian Education Association. At the UIUC campus, the Native American House, the American Indian Studies program, and the Native American student organizations have all called for its retirement.

Those in favor of retiring the Chief contend that the Chief misappropriates Native American culture and perpetuates harmful racial or ethnic stereotypes. They claim this obstructs the creation of a diverse and tolerant learning community, harms the reputation of the University, and promotes an inaccurate image of Native Americans. Those in support of the Chief argue that he is a revered symbol representing not only a proud people but the great spirit of a great university.

As a result of student activism calling for support for Native American students and an American Indian Studies program, UIUC established the Native American House and American Indian Studies program in 2003. As reported in the University of Illinois student databook in 2003, students of Native American descent made up 0.2% of the overall student population, and only 0.1% of the faculty are of Native American origin. This is in contrast with the national average of 0.4%. However, it should be noted that the state of Illinois has a lower than average proportion of Native Americans. [4] Some Illiniwek were forcibly removed from the state of Illinois during the time of Indian Removal. Due to government-sponsored assimilation programs, many Native people were moved in the 1950s to large urban areas. Chicago's American Indian Center is the oldest urban Indian center in the country, and there is a substantial American Indian population in Chicago.

In 2006, the University Board of Trustees opted to study the issue and passed a resolution calling for "a consensus conclusion to the matter of Chief Illiniwek." Many on both sides of the issue find this resolution problematic, given that former trustee Roger Plummer determined that a compromise on the issue was not possible.

In the past few years, opinion polls on the subject have not been much help in defining Native American opinion on the subject. In 2002, a Peter Harris Research Group poll of those who declared Native American ethnicity on a U.S. census showed that 81% of Native Americans support the use of Indian nicknames in high school and college sports, and 83% of Native Americans support the use of Indian mascots and symbols in professional sports. However, the methods and results of this poll have been disputed. [5] A separate poll conducted by the Native-run newspaper Indian Country Today in 2001 reported that 81 percent of those polled "indicated use of American Indian names, symbols and mascots are predominantly offensive and deeply disparaging to Native Americans."

A non-binding student referendum on Chief Illiniwek was conducted in March 2004. [6] Of the approximately one third of the student body who cast ballots, 69 percent of the voters favored retention of the Chief.

[edit] Position of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma

The Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma are the closest living descendants of the Illiniwek Confederacy, having been relocated to Oklahoma in the 19th century. The position of the tribal leadership has evolved over the years. In a television interview with WICD-TV in 1995, Don Giles, then Chief of the Peoria Tribe, said, "To say that we are anything but proud to have these portrayals would be completely wrong. We are proud. We're proud that the University of Illinois, the flagship university of the state, a seat of learning, is drawing on that background of our having been there. And what more honor could they pay us?" Supporting Chief Giles was another tribal elder, Ron Froman, who stated that the protesters "don't speak for all Native Americans, and certainly not us." [7]

Ron Froman was later elected Chief, by which time his views on the Chief Illiniwek mascot changed. His views changed following meetings with American Indian students attending the University. In April 2000, the tribal council, with Chief Froman's support, passed by the margin of 3 to 2 a resolution requesting "the leadership of the University of Illinois to recognize the demeaning nature of the characterization of Chief Illiniwek, and cease use of this mascots [sic]". [8] Froman stated "I don't know what the origination was, or what the reason was for the university to create Chief Illiniwek. I don't think it was to honor us, because, hell, they ran our (butts) out of Illinois." [9] This puts Chief Illiniwek in a position different from that of the mascots of other schools such as Florida State University, whose Native American mascots are not opposed by the leadership of the corresponding tribes. In 2005, a new Chief, John P. Froman, when asked his position by the NCAA, indicated that "the Chief was not representative of our tribe and culture, mainly because the costume is Sioux" [10] In 2006, in response to a widely published column by journalist George Will in support of the mascot's use, he wrote a letter reiterating the Peoria Tribe's opposition to the mascot and decrying that the "University of Illinois has ignored the tribe’s request for nearly five years." [11]

[edit] NCAA involvement

In August 2005, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the primary governing board for intercollegiate athletics, instituted a ban on schools that use what they call "hostile and abusive American Indian nicknames" from hosting postseason games, beginning February 2006. The University of Illinois is among the 18 schools subject to the ban which, among other things, prohibits the University from hosting NCAA-sponsored tournaments. The ban was soon expanded to include Bowl Championship Series-sponsored bowl games, starting with the 2006 football season. The university appealed the ban in October on the grounds that it violates NCAA bylaws and violated institutional autonomy.

On November 11, 2005, the NCAA, stating that it had "found no new information relative to the mascot, known as ‘Chief Illiniwek’ or the logo mark used by some athletics teams that depicts a Native American in feathered headdress," [12] upheld the ban on the University of Illinois. However, it did allow the continued use of the nicknames "Illini" and "Fighting Illini" by the University because they are based on the name of the state and not of Native American descent. The university appealed the decision again on January 30, 2006, mere days before the deadline. [13] While the NCAA Executive Committee granted an extension to April 28, the committee's next meeting, to other schools affected by the ban, the University of Illinois requested a longer stay until May 15, the end of the current semester. The Executive Committee ignored the request for a longer stay, and denied the university's second appeal while indicating that no further appeals would be entertained. [14]

The Chicago Sun-Times reported on August 31, 2006 that Chief Illiniwek would "no longer be an official university symbol" after the 2005-2006 basketball season. [15] The paper also reported that the ownership of the Chief would be transitioned to an organization called the "Council of Chiefs" and made up of a number of people who have previously portrayed Chief Illiniwek. The next day, however, the University disputed the Sun-Times report. University sources confirmed that several former Chiefs had met with University officials to discuss preserving the symbol's tradition, but stated that the so-called "Council of Chiefs" did not exist as a formally organized group. A University spokesman stated that "no decisions have been made" regarding the symbol's fate. [16]

[edit] Chief Illiniwek and the Fighting Illini

Some have incorrectly linked Chief Illiniwek with the nickname Fighting Illini. Though many assume that both are based on Illinois' Native American traditions, the name "Illini" was first associated with the school by the student newspaper, which changed its name to The Illini in the late nineteenth century. (The paper is now called The Daily Illini.) The addition of the adjective "fighting" originated about five years before the appearance of Chief Illiniwek as a tribute to Illinois soldiers killed in World War I. Similarly, the on-campus football venue, Memorial Stadium, was named in honor of these fallen soldiers. As stated above, the NCAA has exempted the names "Illini" and "Fighting Illini" from its ban on "hostile and abusive" Native American imagery, leading many to believe that the name will continue to be used regardless of the fate of Chief Illiniwek.

[edit] References

  • King, C. Richard, and Charles Fruehling Springwood, eds. (2001). Team Spirits: The Native American Mascots Controversy. Foreword by Vine Deloria Jr. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
  • Spindel, Carol (2002). Dancing at Halftime: Sports and the Controversy Over American Indian Mascots. Updated edition, with a new afterword. New York: New York University Press.

[edit] Films

[edit] External links

[edit] See also


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