Chief Illiniwek's Last Dance

Chief Illiniwek performed his final half-time dance during the 54-42 victory for his Fighting Illini over the Michigan Wolverines Wednesday night at U of I's home court, Assembly Hall. It ended 81 years of tradition and over two full decades of controversy at the University of Illinois.

For some, Chief Illiniwek's trademark dance during half-time at university football and basketball games was not only a celebrated campus tradition, but a celebration of the state's Native American roots as well. So wrote popular movie critic and Chicago Sun-Times columnist Roger Eibert, himself a U of I graduate, in an opinion piece titled "Noble Spirit, More than Just a Mascot" back in March of 2001:

"Chief Illiniwek, for nearly a century the symbol of the University of Illinois, was until recently seen as a positive image of American Indians. The Chief never was a 'mascot,' and indeed goes back so far that he pre-dates the use of "mascots" for most sports teams. ... In recent years, however, Illiniwek has been under attack from a small, self-righteous coalition that wants to wipe him from the university's history."

For others, like the Champaign based Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative, these half-time antics amount to nothing more than a "racist caricature" This group has been engaged in the "long struggle" since 1989 to secure the "complete elimination of the inappropriate tradition and the use of race-based imagery."

The controversy began in 1989. A U of I student named Charlene Teters, who was a member of the Spokane Tribe, complained about the university's use of Chief Illiniwek to fire up the crowds at Illinois sporting events.

The so-called anti-Chief movement gathered steam in ensuing years. Protests became louder and more common. Meanwhile, the Peoria Indians, the closest living descendants to the Illinwek, refused to play along. The tribe supported the university's use of Chief Illiniwek. In 1995, after five years of continued protests, Chief Giles of the Peoria tribe stated: "To say that we are anything but proud to have these portrayals would be completely wrong. We're proud that the University of Illinois is the major institution in the state, a seat of learning, and they are drawing on that background of our having been there. And what more honor could they pay us."

The Peoria have since changed their tune. In 2000, after meeting with campus activists, tribal leaders voted 3 to 2 in favor of a resolution requesting that the University of Illinois cease the use of Chief Illiniwek.

In 2005, ignoring a second appeal from U of I, the NCAA ruled that the university would be banned from hosting postseason games and tournaments so long as the half-time performances of Chief Illiniwek continued.

The University of Illinois Board of Trustees reached a consensus earlier this month to retire Chief Illiniwek at the end of the basketball season.

Chief Illiniwek has always had vast support from the student body -- polls indicate 70% or higher. Recent polls, disputed by activists, suggest a majority of Native Americans, too, support Chief Illiniwek. The bulk of the ant-Chief activism at the University of Illinois came from among academics, student organizations, and the Native American population on campus which comprises roughly .02% of the total student body.

Sources: "Chief Illiniwek to perform for last Time" David Mercer, AP News, A History of the Controversy, and those linked to above.