The following transcript is from the 4/14/00 Chief Illiniwek dialogue "intake session". It is an unedited excerpt from the original U.I. document.

I understand the powerful positive feelings that many people associate with Chief Illiniwek. I think it speaks to a deep and profound longing in us for connections to the past to ancestral traditions, to spirituality, for deeper connections to one another and to the larger creation. Many of us long for a symbol to unite us and transform us, to stir our emotions and uplift our spirits.

But, we do both the indigenous peoples of this land and ourselves a great disservice by trying to appropriate their connections to the past, their ancestral traditions, their spirituality. These symbols and sacred objects are not ours to do with as we wish.

In this country of religious pluralism and diversity, we rely upon one another to show respect for our various religious beliefs and practices. Many of us would be deeply shocked and offended if someone were to incorporate a cross or a Bible into a half-time entertainment show, especially if it clearly showed that that person had no understanding or respect for the very sacred meaning of those items for us.

We cannot always know the meaning of a sacred object or symbol based upon our own knowledge or experience. We often need to look to the particular religious group in order to discover the meaning and significance of a religious item or ritual.

As the dominant culture in a country of many subcultures, we need to be very careful about our responsibility to avoid cultural misappropriation, which is basically taking what does not belong to us. Unfortunately, we have a long and not very honorable tradition in this country of taking what does not belong to us, especially from Native Americans. We have inherited this history, but we have an opportunity to stop this dishonorable tradition here and now at this University.

As a clergy person in this community, I find the lack of respect and desecration of another religion's sacred symbols and rituals to be not only offensive, but dangerous to the climate of religious freedom and tolerance that is to central to our campus, our community and our country.

I find it to be a tragic and painful irony that we, many of us descendents of those who came to this country to flee religious intolerance and persecution in Europe, have continued to perpetuate a form of religious persecution and oppression similar to that which our ancestors sought to escape. And I do not believe that we would tolerate any other religion's sacred objects and rituals to be so misunderstood, misused and mocked.

We can't do anything about the thefts and lies that our American forebears perpetrated on the indigenous people that they encountered. But I am convinced that we can and must do something about the cultural theft and religious misappropriation that continues today. All religious persons of conscience have an obligation to protest the desecration and abuse of Native Americans sacred symbols and rituals. Thank you.

See the U.I. Dialogue on Chief Illiniwek page for more transcripts and information.