The fate of Chief Illiniwek

This is the kind of stereotyping that existed in the culture at large at the time of Chief Illiniwek. Whatever good intentions there were in the creation and execution of the Chief character, that character could never extricate itself from the tradition, the symbolism, the look, and the significance of a horrible stereotype. No amount of "explanation" or background could excuse the Chief's continuance, because to the world at large, it looked like and sounded like and ultimately represented racism. Good intentions don't count. Check out I'm an Indian, Too, deleted from Annie Get Your Gun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPPH96laZ58 or another one, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7-LYZsBmtI

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Chief
• Illiniwek
• University
• of
• Illinois
• mascot
• sports
• controversy
• basketball
• talk

[ElectroMewMew13]

You say this was exactly what killed the chief. It wasn't. it was racists like you, and your silly little followers, and your stupid jackass NCAA too. NOTHING, not even your racist intentions, anti-chiefs, will stop the values of the chief from being upheld. Loyalty and tradition will not be stopped because of your crimes. Good intentions is what you claim to be doing, so go to hell. By the way, the asian story, is probably complete FAKE. By the way, idiot, the chief is pure good.

[hloosn8pgs]

Thanks for the hilarious pot-kettle-black comment.

[hloosn8pgs]

I just now understood what you meant by "the Asian story." I went to hear the woman filmmaker speak after a showing of her film. The first thing she said was, how can you have this offensive imagery at your university? Not fake at all.

[mitrumpetplaya]

This is horribly offensive. This is exactly the kind of stereotype that people were accusing the Chief of perpetuating. hloonsn8pgs, you ought to be ASHAMED of yourself. Chief Illiniwek was an honorable, dignified, and loved symbol of the University of Illinois, and you helped kill him.

[hloosn8pgs]

Maybe you saw the chief as honorable and dignified. But from the outside world, he was seen as just this kind of stereotyping. A visiting film scholar way back in the 1980s came to UI once, an Asian woman, and she was horrified by the symbolism of the Chief that she saw in the library where she was giving a lecture. The Chief was made out of good intentions. But so was the war in Iraq and Mao's Cultural Revolution. As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

[snoopster2009]

@NopeJPeg I will admit, however, that there are a LOT of ignorant, offensive, and wholly racist people commenting on this video. I hope that you don't think I am one of them.

[snoopster2009]

@NopeJPeg I don't follow your logic, and you seem to have blocked me so we'll have to sort this out via comments. I actually am one of those white folks who complains about political correctness run amok and affirmative action and reverse racism, so why should I have disdain for those people? If you'd unblock me you could send me a message explaining what you mean exactly. Nobody has ever articulately explained to me how the Chief was inherently racist, so please send me a message.

[NopeJPeg]

@snoopster2009

Have any disdain for the number of white folks whining about PC run amok or "reverse racism" or affirmative action? Didn't think so. Talk about the biggest babies in the world.

[snoopster2009]

I didn't have any disdain toward native Americans until the chief was abolished. Now, I just see them as whiners. I think a lot of people are like that too. Is that what you wanted to have happen? Perhaps we should abolish all native American imagery. Let's just forget they ever existed. Is that what will happen next? If you want to convince myself and others that it is good that the chief is gone, post a video explaining why the chief was so offensive. It would better serve your cause.

[lion3p0]

i hate them all and im no liberal panzy im a real native american and a descenedent of the peopria nation who were a member of the illini confederacy who the cheif is mocking and i despise all of them including chief osceloa and the fact that some of my brothers and sisters let it happen i want to see them all burn especially this one and fsu

[hloosn8pgs]

These comments just keep getting better and better. They are a much better argument against the Chief (note spelling) than I could ever make. BTW, people don't seem to realize that this film clip is from a 1960s exploitation film about drugs. It is typical of the stereotyping of Native Americans that existed then and that continued in the personage of Chief Illiniwek (may he rest in peace).

[lessthanjordan]

Exactly! Chief Osceola runs around throwing a spear while the crowd participates in "The Chop" to a pseudo-Indian chant devised by some band director decades ago. That is a mascot. Chief Illiniwek was a peaceful symbol, not a rallying sign, represented honor, loyalty, and respect. It's sad that people "of color" feel they need to champion a cause that they have put little rational thought to