http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/55810828-77/utes-feather-tribe-drum.html.csp
(Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune) Bode Kamai, 13, performs with other drummers during a Round Dance, organized by members of the Ute Indian Tribe, at Uinta River High School in Fort Duchesne on February 9, 2013.
Is it time for Utah’s drum and feather logo to go?
‘Moral obligation’ » Some in Ute tribe say U. profits from them, doesn’t give back enough. Sacred symbols » Some in other tribes say it’s not up to Utes if drum, feather are OK to use.
By Lya Wodraska | The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published Feb 17 2013 01:01 am • Updated 1 minute ago
It isn’t seeing her tribe’s name or sacred symbols on underwear that hurts Monique Thacker the most. It isn’t the occasional images of Utah Ute fans in headdresses partying in makeshift tepees that grate on Cameron Cuch.
It isn’t even the beating of drums, the Utes’ sacred symbol of Mother Earth, during University of Utah sporting events that stings tribal Utes.
Photos
Related Stories
- Ute leader: Regard drum and feather as you would a holy book or a crossPublished February 17, 2013
- Who are the Utes?Published February 17, 2013
- A Look Back: Never before published photos of life on the Ute Reservation in early 1900sPublished February 15, 2013
- McEntee: U. needs to offer more aid to real Utes and other tribal membersPublished February 18, 2013
At a glance
—
Use of Native American names and imagery at the U. of U.
1950s » Utah, which used “Utes” and “Redskins” interchangeably from its earliest days, also starts using a boy named “Hoyo” as its mascot.
1972 » The dual team name is dropped in favor of the “Utes.”
1975 » Utah begins using the drum-and-feather logo
1980s-90s » The Utes adopt the “Crimson Warrior” as a mascot. The horseman rode onto the field before football games and speared a hay bale.
1996 » The Utes adopt a red-tailed hawk as the new mascot.
2005 » The NCAA subjects Utah and 17 other schools to restrictions for using Native names, mascots or images. The Utes win an appeal after the Utes agree to the school’s continued use of images.
November 2008 » U. Athletic Director Chris Hill acknowledges the school has started to phase out use of the drum-and-feather logo on all items deemed as permanent. The school also starts referring to the “drum and feather” as the “circle and feather.”
December 2008 » Fourteen students protest on the U. campus with shouts of “we want scholarships” and “pay the bill, Chris Hill.” Dissatisfaction with the university’s decision to give up $2.1 million in federal grants for teacher training for American Indian students sparks the protest. The U. said it didn’t have $1.5 million in matching funds for 10 students as required. Instead, it hired a director of American Indian teacher education.
2012 » The U. announces on Jan. 5 it will retain the Utes name and the circle-and-feather logo. The decision follows discussion with students, administrators and tribal representatives.“We have to be careful and sensitive,” Hill said, “to both the American Indian tribes and our fans.”