Comments on: Native American Sports Mascots

By: JennHunny

JennHunny — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 05:03:00 +0000

Thanks Chad and finette! Your posts gave me a more well rounded understanding of the intentions of the university. I always thought that the “fighting” referred to the implication of Native savagery. I can understand their reasoning as wanting to honor veterans, that’s actually real cool! Unfortunately, unless you are truly educated/invested in the history of the university and it’s choice of the name & mascot – you automatically assume that the “fighting” refers to the “Illini.”

By: JennHunny

JennHunny — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 04:56:00 +0000

Some traditional Native sports are stickgames and handgames. Usually tournament style, physical contests that we participated when we gathered for major social events. As for religions, I wouldn’t actually call them “religions” in the same sense that western society defines them, Natives are more spiritual. What I mean by that it isn’t confined by churches or hierarchal structure, it’s a lifestyle and a way of thinking. Each tribe had a different way of honoring what they considered sacred.

By: JennHunny

JennHunny — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 04:48:00 +0000

I wish an actual member of the Illini Nation would have run out of the audience and punched that mascot in the face. Then the crowd would have really gotten to see a “Fighting Illini!” Would it have been ok then? I mean, if that’s what they want to see so bad and that’s how they think a good way to represent their school is!
THEN, maybe people would BEGIN to understand that Native Americans are actual people that still exist today. How offensive was that show? As a proud Native American woman, I was not offended – I was HURT by that display of cheap, comic, supposed image of an “Illini” that was portrayed in that video.

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Attitudes About Race | Erin V Echols — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:18:52 +0000

[...] (or even “positive stereotypes”) of various racial/ethnic groups in movies,sports, politics, comedy, toys, advertisements, costumes [...]

By: Rey Romo

Rey Romo — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:47:00 +0000

I feel that ppl are a little too analytical when it comes to word choice. “fighting” isn’t intended to call Illini indians savages. Its a reference to the athletic strategy of the team to not lose easy (i.e. they fought hard and came out on top, or they battle the odds). Do you really think they sat there when they thought of the name and said “huh, ‘fighting’ Illini makes them more like savages than just illini”? No. It illustrates an aggressive and highly competitive athletic department. “negotiating illini” doesn’t exactly represent a challenging team verbally. Why would a team name themselves in a way that insults the very thing their whole school theme is designed after? Seriously, this is textbook over analyzing. No intention of prejudice was involved in the naming of this team, or in the designing of the mascot. Does that mean it isn’t offensive in one way or another? Not exactly, it justs leaves room for the correcting of their methods. THATS ALL. This is nothing that can’t be tweaked over a round table and a pot of coffee. Completely getting rid of the mascot, however, shows the inability, and unwillingness, to work together and deal with the issues at hand. Instead of benefitting both sides by ‘tweaking’ it a bit, one side wins, and one side loses.
shame.

By: Rey Romo

Rey Romo — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:17:00 +0000

I feel there should be an agreement reached to properly honor the illinois. The fact that the Illini is the team for Illinois, it’s a given that their mascot would involve Illinois history. It would be wrong to put a French mascot because the Illini roots go back much further with the area. There would have to be a way to honor that history without offending the tribe. Remove the offensive dance by white people, make accurate clothing for the mascot, something along those lines. Naming the team and school theme after the people native to the area shouldn’t have to be an offensive thing, it should be an honor. But there should be guidelines to follow because then it can be changed over time and begin to appear as making fun of something very serious.

By: Wahoo

Wahoo — Tue, 10 May 2011 07:51:21 +0000

I think we should get rid of the team names that are of animals because I think they’re offensive towards animals.

By: Wahoo

Wahoo — Tue, 10 May 2011 07:43:15 +0000

Who cares if someone imitates the pope? The whole religion is a crock anyway. What’s plain wrong about imitating the pope? Why can everyone else on the planet be imitated but not a few select people? Well, as long as it’s not done in an offensive way (and I’m not talking about what some sheltered overly sensitive emo thinks is offensive).

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 03:49:38 +0000

Thanks Chad. Very informative.

By: Allie

Allie — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:56:31 +0000

What are Native American sports? And what are Native American religions????

By: Belinda

Belinda — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:12:06 +0000

I think thats a good example you give Jaimie.

IR, there are better ways to “uphold the honor of the original state natives”. Have you asked them what they suggest you could do in this regard? Has anyone? Might they rightly think land, language, culture, health and education more important areas to honor them then this mascot? And please don’t insult us by saying that this IS their culture.

By: Jaimie

Jaimie — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 06:47:36 +0000

its not honoring native americans AT ALL because it is NOT something a native american chief would do 80 years ago, now, or in the future…

the chief is held up in high esteem among most native american tribes. its as if a student dressed as the pope and “blessed everyone” at half-time…its something the pope would do everyday but it would just be plain wrong if the pope were imitated, as it is just plain wrong to imitate a chief.

By: finette

finette — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:18:09 +0000

Chad is correct. I’d just like to add that the “chief” being referred to, who gave his buckskin suit to the University in the ’70s, was Frank Fools Crow, a Lakota medicine man and highly respected elder but not a chief. As for the dance, that was originally learned by some students who spent a summer on the Pine Ridge Reservation in SD in the 1930s, but over the years each successive student portraying Chief Illiniwek modified it to make it more theatrical and appealing to football/basketball crowds. Before the chief was retired (under pressure from the NCAA), the dance was indeed unrecognizable as anything resembling Lakota dance.

In any case, Lakota =/= Illini!

Also, the University’s justification for keeping the “fighting” part of the name is that it originally honored students and alumni who died in WWI. That is indeed who Memorial Stadium is named for, but in my opinion it’s kinda weaselly to say that “fighting” paired with a tribal name is not at least partially intended to evoke the “savage” stereotype.

By: LMH

LMH — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:53:41 +0000

I found this video extremely helpful (and very funny) in teaching Jonathan Swift’s MODEST PROPOSAL, but the best part of class was discussing Chief Wahoo and and the Cleveland Indians……….
http://www.shipbrook.com/jeff/ChiefWahoo/

By: Reminder: Racist Mascots are an Industry » Sociological Images

Reminder: Racist Mascots are an Industry » Sociological Images — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:32:06 +0000

[...] are an industry, not just a poor choice. It would be much more difficult to field a team called the Indians, the Gauchos, or the Orientals if there were no pre-made costumes to buy. var addthis_language = [...]