When the University of Illinois' Board of Trustees announced its decision to remove its 81-year mascot, Chief Illiniwek, on Feb. 16, 2007, it represented what many consider to be an important step in the ongoing controversy over the use of Native American symbols as American university sports teams' mascots.
"It seemed about time," anthropology lecturer Cathy Stanton said. "I was kind of surprised it took them so long."
In an effort to foster cultural diversity and discourage stereotypes, the NCAA enacted a policy in Aug. 2005 prohibiting schools with offensive Native American mascots from hosting postseason tournaments.
Most recently, an American Sociological Association study released on March 6, 2007 concluded that "the use of Native American nicknames, logos and mascots reinforces stereotypes." The ASA called for the discontinuation of all Native American mascots, and concluded that the misrepresentation of Native Americans has various negative psychological impacts on Native American children, including lowered self-esteem and impaired academic performance.
"I think [the use of Native American mascots] is highly inappropriate," American studies professor Joan Lester said. "It's not healthy for Native American kids and leads to misconceptions."
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the adoption of many Native American mascots - a time when American society was often guilty of perpetuating a romanticized, stereotyped image of the Indian warrior. While considered acceptable in the past, such images are now out of sync with the values of today's more socially conscious culture.
"[The mascots] do send really strong symbolic messages," Stanton said. "I think that sometimes a symbolic message can change without necessarily changing the symbol. It's the same way in that the gay community has taken the word queer and really turned it into a badge of honor. Symbols and language can be flexible."
Stanton sees the mascots as guilty of oversimplifying Native American culture and history in the eyes of the wider U.S. populace.
"It makes [Native Americans] into historical cartoon figures," Stanton said. "Even if you see [the mascot] as a badge of pride, that's a cartoon figure, too. The ferocious Indian-warrior - even if that's a positive figure, it doesn't tell you anything that's going on in real-time native communities. With any group that you reduce to a really simplistic image, you're going to limit understanding."
Not all Native American tribes disapprove of the use of the mascots, however. In fact, the Florida Seminole Tribe is supportive of the Florida State University Seminoles, and released a statement on June 17, 2005, reaffirming its continued endorsement of the university's mascot. And the school has done its part to forge positive relations with the tribe, awarding scholarship money to the Seminole community. Such amenability on both fronts has resulted in Florida State University being one of the five schools exempted from the NCAA policy.
The Peoria Indian Tribe of Oklahoma, the closest descendants of the Illiniwek tribal group, has been conflicted in its position on Chief Illiniwek. In 1995, then-Chief Don Giles said that the Peoria tribe was "proud that the University of Illinois ... is drawing on that background of our having been there." Current chief Ron Froman agreed with Giles' statements at the time, but reversed his original stance in 2000, requesting the University of Illinois change its mascot. The tribal council felt that the Chief demeaned the Peoria tribe, and was misrepresentative of Peoria culture, as Chief Illiniwek's costume is actually of Sioux origin.
"[That statement in 1995] did come from one of the former officials of the tribe, but there was never an official position of the elected leadership of the tribe concerning that issue," Froman said. "The tribe issued the edict to the university because I believe that [Chief Illiniwek] didn't accurately portray the Peoria tribe."
Following the request in 2000, the tribe was met with initial silence from the university.
"There was no response. None," Froman said. "That speaks for itself that the statement was made by the tribe in early 2000, and there was never any action by the University of Illinois to change it."
Native American activists have also engaged in more creative forms of protest. In 2002, Native American students at the University of Northern Colorado formed an intramural basketball team called the Fighting Whites, a satirical shot at the use of Native American mascots. The Fighting Whites continue to play at Northern Colorado, and now sell team T-shirts and other merchandise online.
But in the scheme of things, while the mascots are unacceptable, they are not the Peoria tribe's most relevant concern.
"[We were] more apathetic [when we heard the news about Chief Illiniwek]," Froman said. "We don't follow it on a day-to-day basis. The only time we really deal with it is when we are contacted by journalists wanting to know what the reaction of the tribe is."
"I do believe it does offend some people," Froman continued. "But we have to look for ways to fund education, health care and other services for our people. Our plates are pretty full."
Thus far, 15 universities have complied with the NCAA policy, while three, including the Fighting Sioux of the University of North Dakota, are still subject to the NCAA policy. It remains to be seen whether the removal of Chief Illiniwek will provide an added incentive for the remaining three universities to change their mascots.
"I think you always have to look at the specific dynamics of any situation, who's pushing for it and why and what the rational is for getting rid of it," Stanton said. "There is tremendous emotional value in the mascot for alumni and local associations. It's a really complicated mix. Overall the trend is to shift away from [Native American Mascots] but I think it would be too simple to say it's a domino effect."
