The Honor the Chief Society was founded in 2001 to lend historical perspective to the Chief Illiniwek Tradition at theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It is the Society's objective to share the history of Chief Illiniwek so that people can gain a better understanding of the heritage surrounding one of our country's most time-honored academic traditions.
The Society has found that, when people take the time to
learn about the Native Americans for whom the State of
Illinois was named, and reflect upon how Chief Illiniwek
has been portrayed by her flagship university, they are
better able to recognize the difference between an athletic
mascot and a time-honored symbol of tradition and respect.
It is our hope that, as more people learn about his proud
past, they will join us in honoring the tradition that is
Chief Illiniwek. If you are interested in booking Chief Illiniwek to speak or perform at your function or event, please contact the Honor the Chief Society with specific details of your request.
For further information, contact the Honor the Chief Society at (217) 356-3086, by mail at P.O. Box 11472, Champaign, IL 61826-1472, or e-mail: support@HonorThe Chief.org.