Born near Rock Island, Illinois in 1767, Black Hawk was a leader and a warrior of the Sauk and Fox tribe. Though not a chief by birth, Black Hawk was the recognized leader of the political faction within the Sauk nation that believed in the old ways of life that existed before the Europeans came to America. His status as a chief came from leading young men into battles during the Black Hawk War of 1832.
Chief Black Hawk was honored with an enduring legacy by the 333rd Machine Gun Battalion of the 86th Infantry Division during WWI, which was nicknamed the Blackhawk Division. The battalion’s Major Frederick McLaughlin went on to start the professional hockey team of the Chicago Blackhawks in 1926 in honor of the men he served with in WWI. For more information on Chief Black Hawk, see our Chief Black Hawk informational PDF.
For many years there was a lack of engagement with the Native community surrounding the Chicago Blackhawks team’s logo and name. Discussions with the Native community finally began 2010 between William Rockwell “Rocky” Wirtz, the principal owner and chairman of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, and Trickster Cultural Center’s CEO, staff, and advisors. Supported by an amazing team of Native educators, it was through this collaboration that an innovative long-term educational plan was formed.
Discussions held with the Blackhawks included talks about the stories of Native people, how to respect the culture, and the importance of the eagle feather staff. Also discussed was how to use cultural education by featuring Native Veterans, and the importance of discouraging the more than 300 fans that would dress up in inappropriate costumes for the games before the education process started. Since the beginning of their partnership with Trickster, they have committed to helping teach fans the diversity of Native people and eliminate trivializing or generalizing Native culture.
The partnership between the Trickster Cultural Center and the Chicago Blackhawks continues today, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2020. With the support of our programs and services to the community, as well as continued cultural education from the Trickster Cultural Center, this partnership’s success continues to grow and develop in a careful and strategic method of moving forward together. The Chicago Blackhawks Charities supports programming at Trickster Cultural Center, including cultural education programs that showcase the history of Native Americans with interactive workshops, programming for all ages, cultural music and dance, and economic development for Native cultural art and artists.
The Chicago Blackhawks have not requested endorsements or acknowledgment in exchange for their partnership with Trickster Cultural Center. Although we write this for educational purposes, this is not a formal endorsement; it is an offer to share cultural education and work together closely. We proudly share their logo, but more importantly, we share our tremendous progress together as a people and through our history.
The Chicago Blackhawks are different from other sports teams with Native American themed logos. For one, they do not have a mascot depicting anything Native. Their mascot, named “Tommy Hawk”, is a black hawk bird.
Setting the team apart further from other sports imagery controversies, the Blackhawks have been willing to engage with the Native community. When the Blackhawks were first contacted by Sally Wagoner, (then grant writer and nurse working with Joseph Podlasek), the team sent upper management to meet with them, taking the chance to have a dialogue with Native people seriously. In the second meeting, Trickster representatives had the honor of directly talking with the President as well as the Vice President of the team to discuss the challenges and positive relationship that could be built over time between this sports team and Native peoples. They have honored their word and meet often with Joseph Podlasek and officers of the Trickster Cultural Center to ensure they are still on the right track with representation.
The Chicago Blackhawks franchise has never misrepresented the image of Chief Black Hawk, nor have they ever used Native American mascots or disrespected Native American culture through the improper use of or presentation of regalia. It is because of the Chicago Blackhawks’ genuine respect for Native people and support for life-long learning that the Trickster Cultural Center, the Native Veterans Group of Illinois, and other members of the Native community are elated to continue this partnership to tell the story through a Native voice, engage with community efforts and needs, and honor Native American veterans year-round.