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Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Zup's enough ...
 In Bothel, Washington there lives a woman named Janelle. She is the wife of a biker, mom to three kids, and a good friend of my wife and I. She is also one-half Chippewa on her mother’s side. A social worker for the City of Seattle, Janelle has a teepee in her yard, authentic Chippewa jewelry around her neck, and an appreciation for the traditions of her ancestors in her heart. A few years ago Janelle showed me a picture of her two oldest kids at a pow-pow in the early 90s. What struck me about this photo was the authenticity of the religious items the kids were wearing. Shirts made from buffalo hide, hand sewn beadwork, and real moccasins, these kids were drenched in the sacred garb of their ethnicity. They were real Chippewa taking part in timeless religious ceremonies. Mostly they looked proud. Three weeks ago I broke my rule and attended a University of Illinois men’s basketball game. At half-time dozens of white and asian students encircled the court to welcome their Chief. Dressed in rawhide sewn in the fashion of the Ogala Sioux and sporting a headdress of dyed turkey feathers, the Chief fancy danced to the March of the Illini while the students gazed in awe. I excused myself to use the restroom. In the corridors of the Assembly Hall there is a silent minority. After buying a much-too-large serving of ice cream, I stumbled into some former students. Asking why they were standing in the corridor eating their own ice cream, Lauren and Tim expressed their disgust with the Chief’s display. Next to us I heard someone say “amen” in agreement. Minutes later I overheard a man on a cellphone describing the Chief as “embarrassing.” I’m not sure when I decided the Chief was wrong. It may have been the day Janelle showed me that wonderful picture. It might have been before that day. I’m just not sure anymore. But I know it every time I see it. May the Lord hasten the day of the men’s championship, and the retirement of the Chief.  
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4 Comments:
I find it extremely hazardous to generalize from your own experience. Since I was involved in Students for Chief Illiniwek a number of years ago, I've had the pleasure of meeting Native Americans who applaud the Chief....many who don't find him embarrassing...but once again, it is very hazardous to use anecdotes to create emotional appeal for a cause...whether it be for or against the Chief. Such anecdotes create sensationalism and say nothing about the majority opinion.
I quit the Students for Chief Illiniwek. After several years, I got the feeling that those who really care deeply about this issue are misguided. There are much bigger fish to fry. I suggest to those grappling with the issue that they take action on something that requires a bit more thought and impacts lives a bit more profoundly than an 'embarrassing' halftime show does.
'Fighting for social justice' by protesting a racially prejudice mascot is as obvious as a turd in a bowl of milk.
It is obvious, but doing nothing makes nothing happen. For what it's worth, I don't obsess over the Chief, and had pretty much forgotten about it until the visit to the game. I was, and still am, embarassed by what happens at halftime. This University is better than that.
But I wonder if you think the majority should rule in this case? Especially considering the lack of Native presence on the campus? Last I heard, not a single Native American organization had give approval of the Chief. Maybe things have changed?
Wow, I really sounded like I had my panties in a bunch...no offense intended...you make valid points.
I guess all I ever really should say about the entire Chief issue is...it prompts people on both sides to think about a culture that isn't their own...that just doesn't seem like such a bad thing to me.
Through my support of the Chief, I've met plenty of Native Americans and learned more of their cultures than I ever would have otherwise...far more than what I learned in my grammar school history classes. I suspect that those on the other side of the argument can say the same.
Both sides are too emotional: the anti-Chief folks will probably call you a racist, the pro-Chief folks would call me some version of Liberal Elitist. We just both see the issue from different points of view.
I can totally understand where the pro-Chief folks are coming from, and would have actually leaned toward supporting your cause if I hadn't grown to know my friends on the west coast so well. Once you actually see real people taking part in these religious ceremonies, watching a white kid dress and up and "fake it" at a basketball game just seems wrong.
But what do I know? Getting rid of the Chief will probably just foster an underground industry, and create 10,000 more "conservative underdogs" wailing against the encroachment of Liberal Snobbery. Which is just what we don't need any more of.
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