Fictional Native Americans - Chief Illiniwek (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 185. Not illustrated. Chapters: Chief Illiniwek. Excerpt: Chief Illiniwek was the mascot and the official symbol of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign associated with the University's intercollegiate athletic programs from 1926 to February 21, 2007. The mascot was generally portrayed by a white student dressed in Sioux regalia and intended to honor the Illiniwek, the state's namesake. The student portraying Chief Illiniwek performed during halftime of Illinois football and basketball games, as well as during women's volleyball matches. For more than two decades, Chief Illiniwek has been the center of a controversy. At the root of the controversy is the view of several Native American groups, as well as other people of color and white people that the symbol/mascot was a misappropriation of indigenous cultural figures and rituals and that it perpetuated stereotypes about Native American peoples. As a result of this controversy, the NCAA termed Chief Illiniwek a "hostile or abusive" mascot and image in August 2005 and banned the university from hosting postseason activities as long as it continued to use the mascot and symbol. Chief Illiniwek and the Chief Illiniwek logo a stylized front view of a Native American face and headdress are trademarks of the University of Illinois. Licensed use of the logo by the university has been increasingly restrictive as a result of the ongoing controversy. Chief Illiniwek is not based on an actual American Indian chief, nor did a historical figure with this name ever exist. Since he performed many of the functions of other schools mascots, Chief Illiniwek is generally referred to as the universitys mascot. The use of Chief Illiniwek predates the use of mascots in most sports teams and he was never on the sidelines with the cheerleaders during games, as is typical for university sports ...