Chief Illiniwek has been banned by Illinois and condemned by the NCAA but you can still seem him everywhere.
During a game earlier this season between Michigan and Illinois, a university official walked onto the field to receive an award.
It was a cold night, but he was wearing a T-shirt.
A "Chief" T-shirt.
"It was astounding," said Jason Dollarhide, the 2nd Chief of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma. "I thought, 'Why don't these people give it up?'"
8 comments:
Writerfella here --
Given that Native Americans still exist after their supposed genocidal demise, then wouldn't it follow that even their stereotypical images might continue to persist after being banned, just as did the Native Americans? And writerfella has a further question: just what would constitute Native American MONOtypes? And when will we get our Native American HDtypes?
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
A realistic variety of depictions is the solution to stereotypical images. I gave an example in my Thought on the Rose Parade.
Writerfella here --
Whew, Rob! You have your own solutions to 'stereotypes' and they likely could be so employed. But wouldn't their continued usage, therefore, simply generate new Native stereotypes? As George Bernard Shaw said, when he was observed attending a London 'pouf' bar, "Once a philosopher, twice a pervert." As your 'solutions' were used more than once, like cliches, they become stereotypical, as well...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Well... perhaps Rob is willing to risk stereotypes of Natives as accomplished sports heroes, scientists, astronauts, etc instead os stereotypes that they are nothing but a thing of the past and all looked like Plains Sioux.
If we constantly seek new and diverse ways to represent Indians, we won't necessarily repeat ourselves. Not often enough for the new representations to become stereotypes, anyway.
P.S. I changed the name of the link from "Thought on the Rose Parade" to Why Not a California Indian?
Writerfella here --
If dmarks reference to Natives as 'astronauts' includes John Herrington as an example, then that throws it all into a tricorn hat. The general run of Chickasaws' Native blood quanta is so miniscule that Rob more is Cro-Magnon than Herrington is Chickasaw. And there is an obvious example of a new Native stereotype, Natives who aren't Natives at all but simply people of other races who think to be 'Indian' both is cool and neat...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Yes the stereotypes engendered by Indian wannabes and imitators are relatively new. If we're talking about New Age types, that is.
But imitators go back to the Boston Tea Party, the Order of the Red Men, and the Boy Scouts. Before it was cool to portray Indians as spiritually wise elders, it was "cool" to portray them as forest-dwelling savages.
Writerfella here --
Oh, wow, AGREEMENT, from YOU, Rob? Um, er, uh, is that a roll of Certs in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
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