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Chief Illiniwek is the official symbol of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Chief Illiniwek is commonly confused as the school's mascot; University of Illinois has no official mascot.
He is loosely based on Illinois history and is a copyrighted trademark owned by the University of Illinois' Board of Trustees. The Chief is portrayed by a student-dancer, dressed in a Native American costume. Chief Illiniwek performs a stylized Native American Fancy Dance, as part of the Marching Illini's half-time performances. Chief Illiniwek first appeared in 1926.
There has been some debate over the use of a Native American symbol: supporters contend that Chief Illiniwek is inextricably linked to state of Illinois history - although not a totally accurate portrayal of the conqured Illini people. Detractors feel Chief Illiniwek is a derogatory ethnic stereotype and that its use is offensive to Native Americans. The pro-Chief camp has adopted the slogan "Honor the Chief" while the anti-"Chief" (written with quotes) has adopted the slogan "racial stereotypes dehumanize." In a campus-wide referendum in 2003, students voted 2 to 1 in favor of retaining the Chief. The topic of Chief Illiniwek remains a controversy in some circles; the issue has largely become a back-burner item for the University of Illinois Board of Trustees and the Illinois Governor.
See also
Illiniwek Marching Illini Champaign Urbana
In the late 1980s, Native American students, staff, and faculty established a campus organization called Native Americans Staff and Students for Progress. At that time, Chief Illiniwek was the school mascot. The Native organization met with various campus administrators to articulate the ways in which the use of such imagery was derogatory to Native American people.
In response, the University declared that Chief Illiniwek was not a mascot, but a symbol. Throughout the 1990s, UIUC's Native American student groups (Native American Student Organization, American Indian Council of Illinois, and Red Roots) have taken the position that Chief Illiniwek is a stereotypical representation of Native peoples that must be retired.
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