Every now and again, I go back to recently past posts and check to see if any new comments have showed up. A few posts ago, Di asked me what my opinion on The Chief was. Her question was probably prompted by this picture:




For those of you who don't know, Chief Illiniwek is the "symbol" (if you call him a mascot, the x-treme pro-chief people will jump down your throat) of the University of Illinois, which I attend. As a member of the Marching Illini, I know way more than I should about him.

He was created sometime in the late twenties or early thirties (I can't remember exactly) in a collaborative effort between the football coach at the time, the marching band director at the time, and some boyscout. I guess this boyscout knew a lot about Native Americans, and he spent his summers on reservations and crap, so the football coach and the band director charged him with creating a costume and dance to perform at halftime of home football games.



As time went along, The Chief's dance became solidified and he began to perform it to the Three in One, which the marching band plays, so named because it is three songs - the Alma Mater, Pride of the Illini, and one I can't remember - in one.

Some of the controversy comes from the fact that nothing the Chief does has to do with the Illini tribe. The Illini tribe was wiped out a hella long time ago, so the dance that he performs is based on a Sioux fancy dance used to entertain white visitors. Most traditional Native American dance is ceremonial/religious, so it's not really meant to be entertainment. Also, his costume was a gift from a past Chief of the Sioux tribe. So one might accuse pro-chiefers of lumping all Native American tribes together by calling Sioux things Illini. Also, the music is completely un-authentic: the Pride of the Illini is a sort of stereotyped and totally inaccurate white representation of Native American music.







My personal opinion is that it really doesn't matter. Native Americans have MUCH larger problems than a college mascot, especially one that is represented in what I believe to be a truly good faith effort at being respectful. On the other hand, I think the pro-chief side is absurd. Who the hell cares if the damn mascot goes away? I, for one, did not select the University of Illinois because of its "symbol."






I won't lie. As a member of the Marching Illini, I pretty much can't avoid loving the Chief. I get little chills playing the Three in One, and I even cried a little when we played the Alma Mater at the last game. But I would have cause to worry if I were SO DEEPLY attached to the Chief that I were willing to attend rallies and protest to keep him. Yeah, he's cool. Yeah, I get all full of pride when he performs, too. But that's honestly not that important.






Since Chief Illiniwek will soon be retired as the U of I "symbol" anyway, I propose that we make The Chief from "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?" our new mascot. To quote the profile of the Facebook group "Students for The Chief,":

"The Chief embodies the attributes valued by alumni, students, and gumshoes of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The legacy of The Chief is a link to our great academic achievements, a tangible symbol of an intangible spirit, filled with qualities to which a person of any background can aspire: goodness, analytical thinking, crime-fighting, truthfulness, diversity, courage, dignity, and justice. Besides playing a role on Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, Lynne Thigpen, born in Joliet, Illinois, is a character more honorable and suitable than any high-kicking, leather-touting, half-time-entertaining “Chief Illiniwek.” Lynne majored in dance and theater at the U of I, and even has a school named after her in Joliet. With her achievements in theater and film, we should remember to honor the correct Chief!"

posted at 11:31 AM by Alison

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