American Anthropological
Association (AAA), the major professional organization for
anthropologists
and archaeologists working with Native peoples, PASSED an anti-mascot
resolution at its business meeting on November 20, 1999, in
Chicago. Inspired by the earlier action of the Society for the
Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas, the resolution to
be voted on by the AAA membership reads as follows:
PART A:
We, the members of the American Anthropological Association, call upon
all educators and administrators of educational institutions to stop
promoting the stereotypical representation of American Indian people
through the use of sports mascots. The persistence of such officially
sanctioned, stereotypical presentations humiliates American Indian people,
trivializes the scholarship of anthropologists, undermines the learning
environment for all students, and seriously compromises efforts to promote
diversity on school and college campuses.
PART B:
We, the members of the American Anthropological Association, will cease
to schedule Annual Meetings in the state of Illinois until such time as
the administration and trustees of the University of Illinois, the
flagship educational institution of the state, replace their "Chief
Illiniwek" symbol with one that does not promote inaccurate,
anachronistic, and damaging stereotypes of native American people, or
indeed members of any minority group."
The Linguistic Society of America voted to censure
the
administration and board
of trustees of the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign for the continued use of the "Chief
Illiniwek" mascot at athletic events and other university
functions at its business meeting January 7, 2000. Details can be
found here.
Retire the Chief - a web page
"...to give those opposed to Chief Illiniwek their say - in their own words, rather
than through the filter of a news article or television spot." Added 12/7/02
