Chief Illiniwek University of Illinois

Video of Chief Illiniwek was taken Dec 6th at the UI Assembly Hall basketball game against IUPUI. Hail to the Chief

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Illini
• Chief
• illiniwek
• university
• illinois
• basketball

[supernoob6]

If you think it's offensive you are ignorant. You don't make a mascot ( something that represents your school) a joke. They are proud of the chief and love him. There is no racism either. You could be an actual American Indian and be the chief...

[supernoob6]

:( sadface

[Trickster0831]

Do you even know anything behind the tradition of the Chief? The original Chief went to the Illini Tribe and was taught this dance by the Native Americans themselves. They then gave him the outfit that he wears. From then on the dance was handed down from Chief to Chief, and we treat this Dance with much respect and pride and honor. It was only until a few years ago that the tribe changed it's mind and decided it didn't want the dance to occur anymore.

[metroidcrusher]

what YOU don't know, is that the outfit is from the Sioux indian tribe... One of the Illini's great enemies... so much for honoring...

[n8ivebabygirl2011]

This video is not honoring natives it is criticing us native american's we don't dance around really stupid like that we dance with honor and pride. this white person who is dancing doesn't know the tradition behind our dancing you think you do but you DON'T! you don't know what he have had to go through in the past all of the killing of our people, killing the women, children you have no idea what us natives stand for. IF YOU WANT TO DANCE AROUND LIKE A DUMBASS THEN DO IT WITHOUT CRITICING US!!

[bandroom]

how dare you say good ridance to to him

he is a symbolic person. Illinois has him as there mascot because they are honoring the indians that lived in illinois

so get you facts straight before you say things you dont know anything about

[tate4nagi]

I agree, it doesn't seem like a mascot would be such a big deal however the roots of this controversy go deep. It isn't what people phsically see that is the actual problem, in my mind. It is more the meaning behind the mascot. Like a symbol.

For many native americans the mascot symbolizes the Western conception of what Natives are, and that conception definitely portrays them as not human.

[tate4nagi]

John Trudell, an AIM activist, described his thoughts on Christopher Columbus' encounter with Native Americans which went something like this.

Columbus had started to make speech with the Natives after some time visiting with them. He had asked them what they called themselves and the Natives responded, "We are the people." Columbus and his men must not have ever come to understand the simple response because never has society been able to see Native Americans as people.

[jaxhawk06]

It's a friggin' mascot

[dietsnapple89]

well I believe the Chief's dance and the Idea of having a white guy do the dance and dress up as a "Native American" racist, but as a Student at the University I truly believe the students respect the Chief and would like learn more about Native American culture. So I agree with getting rid of the dance but not so of the mascot itself.And contrary to popular belief, you cannot get rid of the "fighting" in fighting Illini because the Fighting is a reference to illinois soldiers of world war 1.