You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has decided to end the "war chant" cheer featured at football games.
The chant, typically accompanying a drum beat during an opponent's’ third down, has faced criticism lately for trivializing and appropriating Native American culture. In 2007, the university changed its mascot, which had been a faux Native American called Chief Illiniwek.
"I've been saying for many decades (these sports traditions) were race-based, and everything associated with it and the antics of the fans mimicked and trivialized the cultural traditions of our people," Charlene Teters, a Native American from the Spokane Tribe who began protesting the chief in 1989 as an Illinois graduate student, told the Chicago Tribune. "Whatever steps it takes, they're stepping in the right direction, and we should applaud that."
Institutions -- as well as professional sports -- have faced debate and criticism over race-based mascots for years, though the move by Illinois comes as many colleges question their history and traditions in the wake of deadly protests at Charlotteville, Va., when white supremacists used a statue of Robert E. Lee as a rallying point for their cause.
Still, critics say inappropriate and disrespectful links to Chief Illinek and Native American culture remain. Students still dress up in Native American garb for sporting events, and the “Three-in-One” song played at athletic events is often accompanied by students crossing their arms and bowing.
