sep 11, 1943 - First and only female Chief Illiniwek | Idelle (Stith) Brooks

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38 different University of Illinois students have performed the role of the Chief since 1926. 37 of these students were male. Idelle Smith became the one and only woman to serve as the Chief. Idelle was asked to take this position in 1943 due to the shortage of male students during World War II. Brooks only weighed 90 pounds while her Chief regalia weighed 50.

Idelle was nicknamed "Princess Illiniwek." The Princess Illiniwek was the closest chief of American Indian heritage. She had grown up on the Osage Reservation in Fairfax, Oklahoma. In the past, Brooks has been described as an honorary princess of the Osage tribe.

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