Chief Illiniwek

Chief Illiniwek was the mascot of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), associated with the university's intercollegiate athletic programs, from October 30, 1926, to February 21, 2007. Chief Illiniwek was portrayed by a student to represent the Illiniwek, the state's namesake, although the regalia worn was from the Sioux. The student portraying Chief Illiniwek performed during halftime of Illinois football and basketball games, as well as during women's volleyball matches.

Beginning in the 1970s, Chief Illiniwek became the center of a disagreement between fans and alumni who viewed the mascot as part of the UIUC tradition and many Native American individuals and organizations, social scientists, and educators who viewed such mascots as cultural appropriation of indigenous images and rituals that perpetuated inaccurate stereotypes about American Indian peoples. In 2005, Chief Illiniwek was one of 19 mascots cited as "hostile or abusive" by the NCAA in a policy that banned schools from full participation in postseason activities as long as they continued to use such mascots.

The University of Illinois retired Chief Illiniwek in 2007, with his last official performance on February 21, 2007. UIUC has not selected a replacement. A non-binding resolution to make "Alma Otter" the official mascot was placed on the spring 2019 student election ballot, but failed to receive a majority. In 2020, the belted kingfisher received a majority of student votes as a possible new mascot, which was reaffirmed in a 2025 student body referendum. In September 2020, the University Senate endorsed the kingfisher as the new mascot, voting 105 to 2 with 4 abstaining. Multiple Indigenous organizations have expressed support for the kingfisher. The kingfisher has won both support and opposition from alumni, though several online petitions continue to advocate for the return of Chief Illiniwek.

Supporters of Chief Illiniwek sometimes object to the use of the term "mascot," and instead refer to the Chief as a "symbol" of the university.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.