(MCT)—Many were caught by surprise last week when the Oglala Sioux Tribe demanded that the University of Illinois return the regalia used by Chief Illiniwek, the school’s mascot.

The request particularly puzzled some Illinois officials, who believed the headdress had been returned to the tribe in the early 1990s.

They found written evidence proving they were right, and a tribal official acknowledged on Friday he has the headgear. But, like everything connected to the Illinois mascot, this controversy is far from finished.

For years, some students and American Indians have pushed to end the tradition of Chief Illiniwek, a student who performs barefoot in the buckskin costume and headdress at football, basketball and volleyball games.

Those opposed to the mascot claim the depiction is humiliating and creates a hostile environment on campus. Supporters claim the Chief respects American Indian culture and is a revered tradition that dates back to 1926.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe’s executive committee put the argument back in the spotlight with its resolution to have the rest of the regalia returned.

The tribe got a boost from the former Illinois band director who arranged for the school’s purchase of the ceremonial dress in 1982.

“They should have it back because it is part of their cultural history and belonged to a legendary Native American,” said Gary Smith, Marching Illini director from 1976 to 1998. “I feel that they are entitled to have it back, but they should not have offered it to us in the beginning.”

John McKinn, University of Illinois Native American House assistant director, hopes the Oglala Sioux’s resolution sways the board to retire the Chief.

“This resolution gives the university and administrators an opportunity to do what is right,” he said. “What is right is to return the regalia to the culture and to the people to whom it belongs.”

© 2007 Chicago Tribune