Questions and Answers on the
"Chief"
Updated 5/24/05
What's wrong with the "Chief"?
UIUC's official mascot and symbol, "Chief Illiniwek" is a
racist representation of Native people created by non-Natives for the
halftime entertainment and profit of non-Native people. It undermines
Native peoples' right to self-determination by appropriating sacred
aspects of Native political and religious culture. The "Chief's"
performance is just as offensive to Native Americans as the Little Black
Sambo and Amos & Andy stereotypes are to African American people.
By mocking Native culture, the UI sets a dangerous precedent for racist
representation of all other social and ethnic groups targeted for oppression.
Fact:
Every national Native organization that has taken a stance on the issue
has called for the elimination of the "Chief," including:
the American Indian Council of Illinois, the American Indian Education
Association, the American Indian Movement, the Cherokee Nation, the
Peoria Tribe, the National Congress of American Indians, and the National
Indian Education Association.
Is the "Chief" authentic?
The "Chief" is not authentic. His dance and costume are derived
from a 1926 Boy Scout project and the music was written by the UI band
director using Hollywood beats. Even if the "Chief's" performance
were authentic, it would still be inappropriate for a non-Native to
perform it at a college sporting event. The "Chief" makes
the UI a hostile environment for many Native people, and therefore impedes
true education about Native culture on the UI campus. Native activists
and people of conscience have repeatedly suggested that education about
Native culture necessitates, first and foremost, the elimination of
the "Chief," as well as the establishment of a Native Studies
Program, and Cultural House (neither of which currently exist), more
Native scholars, and more scholarships for Native students.
Is compromise possible?
No. A compromise would allow for the racist tradition of the “Chief”
to continue on campus. The “Consensus Conclusion” is nothing
more than a stalling tactic and it is unquestionably a pro-”Chief”
resolution. It contradicts a previous dialogue attempt by the Board
that already cost taxpayers half a million dollars! This report by Trustee
Roger Plummer in spring 2002 stated that there are only two options:
to retain or to remove the “Chief.” Since there is no value
in a racist mascot at a public institution of higher education, we must
demand nothing short of the immediate elimination of the “Chief”
(dance, logo and name) as the symbol of the UI. We also demand that
the UI: (1) issue a formal apology to the local, state, and national
Native American communities and communities of color for the hurt and
harassment that this mascot and surrounding controversy have caused,
(2) increase stable and permanent funding for the Native American, Latina/o,
African American, Asian American and other minority studies programs
and cultural houses on the UIUC campus. These demands must be met in
addition to, not in lieu of, the complete elimination of the “Chief.”
Why is the "Chief" still here?
The Board of Trustees, as the highest governing body of UI, has the
power to eliminate the “Chief,” but refuses to do so. The
Board consists of 9 Governor-appointed members (mostly business leaders)
and 3 elected student members, only 1 of whom has a vote. The Board
is undemocratic and unrepresentative of the diversity of the UI community,
and has consistently shown their unwillingness to resolve the issue
of the “Chief”. In response to the Board’s irresponsibility,
students, faculty and community members occupied Swanlund Administration
Building for 33 hours on April 15th-April 16th, 2004. As a result the
sit-in participants gained meetings with Illinois State Legislators,
strengthening support for the movement against the “Chief.”
In addition, Trustee Carroll promised to put her resolution to eliminate
“Chief Illiniwek” back on the agenda for the June 2004 Board
meeting in Chicago. Unfortunately, Carroll backed out of her promise
and instead co-sponsored a new resolution that calls for a “Consensus
Conclusion” in June 2004.
Since then, the only official action the Board took was to pass the
“Heritage Resolution,” yet another pro-“Chief”
resolution. Despite the Board’s lack of action, two important
groups--the North Central Association (NCA), who accredits the UI, and
the NCAA--have begun action around race-based mascots. The NCA released
a Focus Visit Report in August 2004 that criticized the UI Board and
Administration for their lack and action around the issue and documented
the detrimental effects of the “Chief.”
In their Focus Visit Report, the NCA
wrote: “The Chief issue and surrounding controversy have
an influence that is harmful to educational effectiveness in a variety
of areas, especially leadership, governance, educational integrity,
and campus climate. The University appears not to have given sufficient
attention to evidence of the damage caused by the controversy. The evidence
of this damage is cited persuasively in such places as the Resolution
to Retire Chief Illiniwek on March 9, 1998, the letter to Mr. Stephen
Crow, Executive Director of the Commission on Higher Education of the
North Central Association, January 22, 2003, and signed by 115 faculty
members from throughout the institution, and other resolutions and letters
from schools and departments including those such as anthropology and
sociology whose professional expertise is directed toward identifying
harmful effects of the symbol…”
They will be returning in the 2006-07 school year to re-evaluate the
situation. More recently, the NCAA has called on 31 schools to complete
self-evaluations regarding their race-based mascot as the first step
in their investigation into the effects of such mascots.
What other groups oppose the "Chief"?
U.S. Dept. of Justice, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, NCAA Minority
Opportunities & Interests Committee, Nat'l Education Association,
Nat'l Coalition on Racism in Sports & the Media, UIUC Chancellor's
Committee on Diversity, UIUC Student Government, ISU Student Government,
NAACP-CU Chapter, Nat'l Organization for Women-CU Chapter, UIUC's College
of Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Counseling Center Staff, and Departments
of Anthropology, English, History, Psychology, Sociology and many more!
In its 2002 statement opposing the "Chief," the UIUC Diversity
Committee stated:
Continuing the tradition of using a race-based figure to represent the
university at sporting events can only divide a multiracial campus and
make it significantly more difficult to recruit and retain faculty and
students of color to the university.
Is the "Chief" a tradition that honors Native people?
No, the "Chief" does not honor Native people. When every national
Native organization that has spoken on the issue has opposed the "Chief,"
Native people obviously don't feel honored. By ignoring Native people
and their allies requesting the "Chief's" removal, the UI
is placing more importance on "tradition" than on the feelings
of actual Native peoples - hardly on honor. While the "Chief"
is a UI tradition, that doesn't make it right. There have been many
unjust traditions e.g, slavery, Jim Crow, and denying women the
right to vote. Everyday people struggled hard to change these traditions.
Similarly, the UI's racist "Chief" is a tradition that must
end.
Just as African Americans rejected black face as a racist stereotype
of their people, so too do Native peoples find "Chief Illiniwek"
to be a racist and degrading representation of Native American culture.
Why should I get involved?
The history of social justice movements in the U.S. teaches us that
progress is never initiated by those in power, nor do powerful institutions
like the UI respond quickly or adequately to polite requests for justice.
Rather, change must be fought for by everyday people standing together
to demand their rights and using education and action to get others
involved. You do not have to be Native to get involved in the fight
to end racism against Native people. People who take a principled stand
against injustice have a right and a responsibility to fight racism,
no matter who the target is. When Native and non-Natives stand in solidarity
against racism, we uphold the right of all people to be treated with
dignity and respect.
How do I get involved?
* Contact the Board of Trustees to make your opinion known. Contact
BOT Secretary Michele Thompson at mthompsn@uillinois.edu or (217)
333-1920.
* Share this website with friends, family, roommates, and co-workers.
* Cross out the "Chief" on any merchandise you own.
Do not purchase anything else with the "Chief" logo or name.
* Purchase anti-"Chief" t-shirts, buttons, and stickers.
*Get your organization involved by having a discussion or inviting
a PRC to come speak to your group about the anti-"Chief" movement.
*Contact the PRC for more information about how to get involved.
Contact the PRC.
The Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative (PRC) is a multi-issue,
multi-tactical activist organization committed to struggling for peace
with social justice. We are UI students and C-U residents working to
promote human rights, democracy, and self-determination for all people.
The PRC is a registered student organization at UI and a program of
the Illinois Disciples Foundation. The PRC has also been involved in
various anti-war movements since the Gulf War and continues to struggle
against the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on a local and national level.
Join the PRC and work for peace with justice!
