[Peace] When I Resist Protests/Marches Use the Following Email

Sat Oct 3 15:01:26 CDT 2009

Brian:

I am sorry if the following email goes over your administration of any group you control the posting of information to, but considering the information, I 

--- On Wed, 7/13/05, Franklin, Bernard <bfranklin at ncaa.org> wrote:

From: Franklin, Bernard <bfranklin at ncaa.org>
Subject: RE: The "Chief Illiniewk" emblem, dance, costume and the US and/or U of I
To: dance_mystic_man at yahoo.com
Cc: "Stratten, Ron" <rstratten at ncaa.org>, stephenk at uiuc.edu
Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2005, 11:38 AM

Dear Ms. Whipple:

Thank you for your July 5 e-mail to NCAA President Myles Brand, which was forwarded to my attention. We welcome your comments and interest in the Native American mascot issue. As Native American imagery used for college and university mascots evokes both passionate allegiance and harsh criticism, we anticipate that there will be mixed opinions on this important issue. 

Over the course of the summer, the NCAA membership is reviewing self-evaluations compiled and submitted by colleges and universities that continue to use Native American imagery. It is our hope that the self-evaluations will provide a more accurate understanding of the attitudes and beliefs surrounding this issue and will assist our member institutions in making important decisions on this matter. This topic is centered in our membership, and the voices of the NCAA colleges, universities and related constituents deserve to be heard.

The NCAA Executive Committee will meet in August to further discuss the Native American mascot issue. Thanks again for your thoughts and suggestions as we continue to gather information and create dialogue on this topic.

Bernard W. Franklin
Senior Vice-President for Governance and 
Membership
NCAA
P.O. Box 6222
Indianapolis, IN 46206-6222
Phone: (317) 917-6222
Fax: (317) 917-6808 

-----Original Message-----
From: Nora Whipple [mailto:dance_mystic_man at yahoo.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 1:47 PM
To: Brand, Myles; Stratten, Ron; stephenk at uiuc.edu
Subject: The "Chief Illiniewk" emblem, dance, costume and the US and/or U of I

When I was enrolled as a student at Kishwaukee College in the early 1990's, I didn't think much about the "Chief" issue.  I thought toilet paper that had the "Chief" emblem on it could be used as streamers for a victory party.  Then I grew up.  The first time I really thought about the "Chief" issue, I was standing in a previous minister's office performing my duties as janitor when I noticed the previous minister's Redskin's button that read "People Not Mascotts."  Being partly Blackfoot, I felt ashamed because it took me seven years to understand what this previous minister knew.  Native Americans are people, not servile robots that unthinking perform tricks at half-time nor to be pinned in a stall to be stolen by the opposing team in a "capture the flag" type of competition that were held in the early days when live animals were used as mascotts.    

While living in the Urbana-Champaign area, I have had to do research both on and off the football field to find out why the "Chief" not only as an emblem is offensive, but why "Chief Illiniwek" is also offensive.  My first encounter with other Native Americans only gave me insight as to why the "Chief" emblem is offensive.  First of all, I found out that the emblem used to represent the "Chief" is similar to the emblem used to designate where White Bounty Hunters could cash in the bodies of dead Native Americans.  The constant visual reminder of the barbaric treatment Native Americans have endured by the hands of the invading White Man only enhances depressed and angry thoughts Native Americans have about the genocide and extinction many tribes fell victim to.  This is very similar to the scar I have on my right hand that was placed upon me by a friend of the son of the Chief of Police in DeKalb, IL when I was 12 who knifed me.  Not only was
 there no report filed upon my behalf, the only form of punishment that was placed upon anyone was that the friend was sent home before any legal action was taken.  The ethnicity of the offender is White.  The Chief of DeKalb Police and his son are White.  While there is no physical pain left to endure, there are times when I look at my scar and I remember the fear, anger, hate and the feellings low-self esteem carries, and how I was made to think I was unloved and deficient.  These memories regenerate anger in me because justice was never rendered in my behalf by my father, mother, nor by those in authority and their friends and family that are White and look White.  

I can only imagine that all the negativity that reoccurs from time to time is magnified in those who are Native American and look Native American.  The information Thurgood Marshall collected from social scientists, in the late 1950 to early 1960, who studied the how racial jokes, fights and cartoons diminish a child's capacity to feel self-worth that is needed to thrive in their environment during the 1950's and 1960's, only proves that a child will favor a person or identity of another race, and start to hate their own existence.  It is this hate of their own existence that leads the child to identify with people of other races, and if the child is rejected by those of other races, as well as their own, the child will start to isolate themselves from others, making life difficult for them to attain and keep any relationship needed to foster and maintain their existence unless they can continuously keep rehabilitating his/herself to
 not succumb to the depression that can lead to suicide or homicide.

Now, when you look at the costume of "Chief Illiniwek," you'll notice that feathers and red, white and blue paint adorn a buckskin leather dressing many people associate with what a Native American Chief would wear.  It is not until you see "Chief Illiniwek" dance to Hollywood music that the mockery of Native American life becomes apparent.  The dance "Chief Illiniwek" performs is a symbolic interpretation of a Native American Prophecy that states, "There will be a devil in the form of a white man.  This devil will scourage the planet destroying himself and those he loves.  It is after this devil's death that the land will return to those it properly belongs to."  The band is not of drum and woodwinds (like a Recorder or Wooden Flute), but of brass and drums.  The beat does not co-inside with the heart beat of a human, but the stereotypical beat you hear used that accents the first beat with two softer beats that follow.  "Chief
 Illinwek's"  costume is made of turkey feathers, and not eagle feathers.  The painting on the feathers and face of "Chief Illiniwek" corresponds with the colors of the American Flag, which is a symbol made by White Men and Women to honor the lives lost in battle that founded an invading nation upon the soil of people who were already inhabiting the area.  

The dance starts with "Chief Illiniwek" prancing like a horse who's rider is not visible during a hunting expedition.  "Chief Illiniwek" then does of series of kicks and turns that only fortify that "Yep, this White Lone Horse has no rider, and that is 'on the arm' (as in correct)."  Then "Chief Illiniwek"  then proceeds to perform alternating kicks with a Russian Fling to each of the directions of North, East, South and West (ending with "Chief Illiniwek" perfoming the act to his own people.  This act is that their is a White Man who is f***ing up the planet and his own people.  "Chief Illiniwek" then returns to the opposite side of the Main Grandstand facing the home team in stereotypical victory pose to fortify through symbolic speech that "Yep, this "Chief Illiniwek" is a White Lone Horse with no rider who is f***ing up the planet and his own people, and that is 'on the arm' (as in correct) and victory is made."            

So just who is honored through all of the stereotyping?  I think it is safe to say no one.  Look at the state of the world today with the inventions of chemically fueled transportation that has contributed to Global Warming, and the need to recycle products that would have benefited us all if left disassembled by remaining unearthed. It has been discovered by those involved with the Space Program (like NASA), that a planet's magnetic field becomes stronger when the surface of that planet's soil is greatly heated (as in though volcanic eruptions) and gradually cooled.  By extracting what our planet needs, we are actually diminishing our own magnetic field needed to destroy potential stellar objects because the elements that are needing to be heated and cooled are no longer there.  That is why heating pottery and other eating and storing utensils formed out of clay, and then letting this clay be cool is actually better for the Earth than most
 people realize in maintaining a natural defense mechanism for our planet.

Who will perpetuate the negative feelings associated by the use of racist symbols and mascots that can escalate into homicidal and suicidal actions now that all of this has been made known?  Collectively, we all will.  After all, what Native American still rides a horse while hunting for food?  What Native American walks or uses a bike or other mode of transportation generated by humans instead of a car?  What Native American still makes pottery and uses their hands to eat instead of factory produced metal and highly glossed over china or forms of clay?  Who exactly is Native American and what defines them as such?  Who are we collectively?  What does it mean to be a tribe other than a group of people who share a common name, language and set of rules?  What is the name of the tribe that I stem from?  Is the name of my tribe Illinois, Washington or USA?  I also am bilingual.  I'm I from the English or Spanish Tribe?  I also follow
 the rules of my state and country as well as religion.  I'm I from the Illinois, USA or Unitarian Universalist/Kabballa Tribe?  Why should we worry about this all when everything ends up in vanity, vanity, vanity?  Because humans are as essential to maintaining the health of one another and the planet, although I swear the animals could take care of the planet better than we can right now.  If the Earth and its inhabitants are destroyed, does GOD still survive?  Who wants to be the lone scientist to find out?

Thank You For Allowing Us To Speak,

Nora E. Whipple        
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com 
This email and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return email, delete this message and destroy any copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/archive/peace/attachments/20091003/a71ef5a7/attachment.htm