Farewell Chief Illiniwek

Today, we say goodbye to Chief Illiniwek. For over eighty years, he has served as the "symbol" for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I take that back, for over eighty years, a non-Native American has painted his face, donned traditional regalia and did an "Indian" dance in front of drunk students and fans.

After years of protests, the NCAA finally gave in and deemed the symbol/mascot/Red-face inappropriate and offensive. They ordered the school to retire Illiniwek or face restrictions and penalties. So, today, we say goodbye to the Chief. Students, professors and fans have a planned walk-out. Talk radio and news programs are all abuzz about the issue. People are debating if the problem is insensitivity or hypersensitivity.

I grew up in the land of Burgundy & Gold. For you non-Washingtonians, this means the land of the Redskins. The 'Skins gave us Doug Williams' historic super bowl win and a stadium that set the bar for stadiums to come. My family is full of die-hard 'Skins fans and I had no choice when picking favorites.

So, naturally, it bothered me when the annual complaints rolled in and folks started calling for a name change. How, after so many years, could they suggest such a thing? Why is this an issue for "them"? What's the big deal? Those were questions I wanted answers to.

Now that I'm older, I totally understand the argument against the 'Skins and all teams that use Native American images as "fun" mascots or symbols. With maturity, I have learned to see the other side of things and have attempted to place myself in someone's shoes before judging. With this issue, I cannot imagine the level of anger and disappointment I would feel if a college or major league team created a team based on ME and my culture. Imagine the Cleveland Browns as the Cleveland Brown-skins. Or the Redskins, in honor of DC's "chocolate city" image, changing their name to the Washington Chocs or Coons. Picture the mascot, maybe a pimp or rapper, coming out at half-time to pop-lock or better yet do a traditional African dance. Immediately, these images/ideas sound ridiculous right? If we replace those names/images for Yellow-skins or any name/image that suggests another minority group, we would all be up in arms. IMMEDIATELY!

So, I ask, why is this any different with Native Americans? Most will say it's all in fun or better yet that we are somehow "honoring" them by creating mascots out of their looks and culture. Imagine that; labeling an entire culture in the same vein as Jaguars, Cougars and Colts is "honoring" them?

I know it's meant in good fun but honestly our prejudice and racism allow these things to happen. Native Americans are conveniently forgotten and regarded as somewhat mythical creatures in our world. They are rarely seen unless we're creating them for mascots or movie roles. I guess it makes some feel better to view them that way. With them conveniently out of sight, we can forget what was done to them.

How much have we really invested in the original Americans?

Last Thanksgiving, my daughter received her first – and possibly last – history lesson on Native Americans. She was so excited to read me the project they put together. On the first page, there was a picture of a settler and a Native American. They were sitting down to a dinner of multi-colored corn. The settler had his Black & White Pilgrim digs and, of course, the Native American had his feathers on. Beneath the picture, it said: "The Settlers made friends with the Indians." This was the only text written. Everything else showed pictures of the settlers and Natives planting seeds and eating. What a huge lie and understatement there!

The Illiniwek people were a group of six tribes that called Illinois home. Due to "friendly" settlers, and our government, they were pushed out and forced to create a new name and home for themselves. The Indian Removal Act, passed in 1830, took them to an Oklahoma reservation, where they became the Peoria Tribe. I am willing to bet many, who say the Chief's "death" is unfair, do not know the history. If they do, and still view their loss as greater, than they are self-centered idiots.

We never gave the Natives any justice or attention in our mainstream society. Yet we freely use their images and culture in "fun". Something is wrong about that. I say "GOOD RIDDANCE" to Chief Illiniwek!