Friday, March 9, 2007 9:36 PM CST
Column: There could have been a new Chief tradition
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com
Everyone seems to be looking into the past of the Chief Illiniwek wars.
But by mixing the very distant past with a dialogue, the future might produce a new Chief tradition. Here’s how the future might appear one fall day in Champaign County.
It is 2020 and the University of Illinois is celebrating its Tenth Annual Illinois Native American Festival.
The trees on campus are aglow in fall colors. Near Memorial Stadium, there are dozens of Indian Nation venues and events with smoke curling from campfires and the echoes from dozens of drums. It is a mix of education, cultures and, of course, theater.
One of the most popular events is the charge of the Fox and Sauk warriors on horseback in full battle regalia. It harks back to the start of the Blackhawk War in 1832 when several dozen warriors made what they considered a brave charge against a few hundred Illinois militia. The blood-curdling cries of Chief Blackhawk’s braves sent the militia running for their lives.
A cluster of blond, blue-eyed kindergartners from a Central Illinois farming community hold their ears and cover their eyes as the screaming warrior re-enactors gallop closer and closer. Later, these children are giggling when they play with the affable warriors after their charge. The mounted “mean men” have turned into respected mentors for the children.
There are recreations of prairie Indian villages. There are offerings of the diverse fare of Indian tribes in the Illinois country three centuries ago. And there is a plethora of books and electronic media for sale on Native-American subjects. A share of the proceeds from the venues goes to different Native-American cultural centers across the country as well as some university educational programs.
One of the most popular events of the festival is the Buffalo hunt that mixes a use of fire to turn the course of real buffalo, which are shipped in from the Far West, with a lesson on Indian hunting techniques when the great prairie had not yet been turned by plows. No buffalo are killed in the hunt, but buffalo meat from hunts out west is served in food venues throughout the festival.
A mix of pyrotechnics special effects helps produce a realistic ring of fire for the audience, and other gadgetry keeps the spectators safe if the herd goes astray from the script. These technical wonders were developed by U of I graduate students a decade ago as part of the joint efforts by the university and Native American educators.
The festival was made possible when a group of former Chief Illiniweks and representatives of Indian Nations with ties to Illinois sat down for a long weekend retreat near historic Starved Rock and hammered out an agreement that honored both the Indian traditions and the need for a new flesh-and-blood Chief of the Illini, a representative of the fighting spirit of that tribe, as opposed to a mere mascot. The Chief is now a bridge between two cultures.
Eloquent speeches to university officials ensured passage of the changes over diehards still bitter over the 2007 elimination of the old Chief. One speaker, a former Chief himself, produced an emotional moment that turned the tide for reconciliation on the bitter debate.
“In many ways, this brings home more than just the Chief. It brings back the legacy of the Illini to Illinois,” he said. “This agreement will help the Illini legacy live forever.”
Now, the new Chief is part of many halftime shows at the university. He now has a Mohawk, loincloth, moccasins and other costume changes that fit the true Illini tradition. His dance has no leaps. The Chief’s steps and turns build to a crescendo as a semi-circle of Native American drummers pound out a beat while the university marching band provides heart-thumping accompaniment.
Spectators in the stands clap and pound their feet to the drums. Then comes the climax as the Chief stops and raises his arms to the sky. The drums and band fall silent. Then after a short pause, the crowd shouts in unison, “Long Live the Illini!” The Chief shouts it in the language of the Illinois Indians.
Then comes the playing of “Alma Mater.” The emotion of the Chief’s performance and the tribute to the Illini, both of the past and today, brings tears to the eyes of spectators.
They have learned the Illini legacy is not extinct. And it will never die as long as people of different backgrounds can reach common ground.
Herb Meeker is a staff writer for the Journal Gazette/Times-Courier. Contact Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.
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