After epitomizing school spirit for the students of the University of Illinois for over eighty years, Chief Illiniwek is retired. His retirement from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign comes after two decades of debate and escalating tensions.
Chief Illiniwek was introduced in 1926 when Assistant Band director Ray Dvorak fostered the idea of performing an “American Indian Dance” during the halftime shows. Pro-Chief supporters are not shy about expressing their frustrations. Facebook.com has hundreds of groups that support the resurrection of Chief Illiniwek.
Dan Maloney, a graduate student, portrayed the stern-faced Chief Illiniwek for the last time February 21, 2007. Local news coverage of the Chief’s last performance showed students whose faces were red with emotion and damp with tears.
The school mascot cultivated a rift between the student bodies. Some U of I students are happy that the Chief is retired. Sophomore Cason Brunt believes that the Chief’s demise is the turning of a new page. He comments, “The Chief was a symbol that fostered racism, hatred and oppression here at the University. I am a student among many that is pleased to see that our university is making strides to further promote inclusiveness and celebrate diversity.”
The Chief is a caricature of Native Americans. They are being held captive to a stereotype, in a land that is theirs in the first place. School spirit is a great thing to have but it should be done in a sophisticated manner. Once it begins to marginalize the beliefs and culture of an entire group of people, it becomes a state of emergency.
Chief Illiniwek’s performance is equivalent to a modern day Minstrel Show. In Minstrel Shows, Caucasian actors would dress in black face and “act” as stereotypical African-Americans. The Chief is a complete ravishing and stereotyping of an entire group of people.
Chief Illiniwek successfully had over an 80 year reign because the ethical responsibility was not taken in challenging his depiction. Pro-Chief supporters should stop possessing an individualistic attitude and actually understand that Chief Illiniwek means much more than an Indian mascot in headdress. The Chief is a long-time symbol of disrespect and denial of the Native American people.