The whole country was watching Illinois in the Final Four, andtens of thousands of fans were there and a lot of stuffy schoolofficials in suits, all feeling good and puffy about themselves. Thiswas a huge moment for the university to show what it's about. Sowhere was the university's official symbol?
Chief Illiniwek was in the attic. Everywhere you looked, he wasn'tthere. And you could just feel it, obvious and embarrassing.
Time's up, Illinois. Make up your mind on the Chief and go withit. We have had this debate for at least 15 years, whether his danceand attire are symbols honoring the Illini tribes or just raciststereotypes.
Fifteen years, and the solution is to say we're proud of theChief, then create a school policy not to take him on the road?
You're either ashamed or proud. Not both. You can promote him orretire him. Not both.
Fifteen years, and the Illinois board of trustees stokeseveryone's passions by considering the discussion, tabling it,forming committees and other bureaucratic b.s. Resolutions aresuggested, then disappear. And you know where the board is now?
It has decided on guidelines to serve as a framework fordiscussion.
This is hard, but these people aren't making a decision. They'refilibustering, seemingly less concerned with the heart of the issuethan with making sure big alumni and donors who love the Chief aren'tangered.
So one side hides, and the other side? Political groups keeplumping in the Chief with all American Indian mascots. Some of thesesymbols are so obviously racist, like the toy tomahawks, chops andchants of Atlanta Braves and Florida State fans, and Chief Wahoo'shuge grin. The Washington Redskins name -- the N-word to AmericanIndians -- is indefensible.
Mixed emotions
I've always been against these things, and also against the Chief.But this year, I went to more Illini games than usual, and early inthe season I stood to watch the disgusting dance. The Chief came outand started dancing.
And I got choked up. It was beautiful, so prideful. The next game,I got chills. It happened every time, becoming a guilty pleasure.
For me, this became a serious seasonlong conflict between brainand heart. For help, I called a sociologist who has been opposed toAmerican Indian mascots. He thought there was room for compromisewith the Chief but said that idea wasn't embraced by his peerPh.D.'s. He also said most American Indians don't care aboutIlliniwek. Those who grew up in a traditional way, those onreservations, though, see dance as religion. And Illiniwek's isawfully close to authentic.
So how would I feel, he asked, if the halftime entertainment of abasketball game was some guy dressed up as a priest giving fakecommunion to honor me?
But one Illiniwek hitchhiked to a South Dakota reservation in the1920s, asked for help and came back, roughly, with what we have now.That's a pretty good effort. And 20 years ago, another tribal leadergave the current headgear for use in the Chief's dance.
There has to be room for discussion here, not just hyperbole ordenial. But George Benge of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, whowrites about American Indian issues for Gannett News Service, wrotethat the Chief is 'among the most demeaning of the sports mascots,symbols and nicknames whose existence is an affront to all NativeAmericans. Others of Illiniwek's ilk include the Washington Redskins,Chief Wahoo of the Cleveland Indians and the Tomahawk-chopping fansof the Florida State Seminoles and Atlanta Braves."
No, the Chief was not picked indiscriminantly to have a crazyIndian mascot for fun. He is not used to work up fans who still wantto play cowboys and Indians to rally the team at the two-minutewarning. Good intentions don't make things right, of course, but theChief is here to honor a history. This is the state of Illinois,after all, and the Illini tribes matter here. He comes out, dances,leaves.
That doesn't mean Illiniwek is sensitive and not hurtful. And ifhe offends the people he's trying to honor, he needs to go.
Conflicting polls
What we can't grasp is whether American Indians really areoffended, or if it's only a loud minority. I've seen two polls ofAmerican Indians: One said that 81 percent are not offended by theChief, and one said that 81 percent are. Meanwhile, the NCAA has putschools with American Indian mascots on warning.
On Wednesday, I watched the documentary "In Whose Honor" about theChief and Charlene Teters, the American Indian and former Illinoisgrad student who started the anti-Chief movement. And it's prettyalarming to see white guy after white guy say this is a tribute andthen see Teters in tears, remembering the first time she saw theChief.
'My kids just sank in their seats," she said. "I saw my daughtertry to become invisible, and my son tried to laugh. ... They havebeen taught to respect the person who has earned the right to wear aneagle-feather headdress."
If the university can't find a single prominent American Indianorganization to support this thing or find a compromise -- somethingit should have done 15 years ago -- then let's just retire him. Thisfilibuster only escalates the embarrassment.
There's no pride in the attic.
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