That so-called "war chant" that has so many Illinois sports fans emotional is time-honored, but perhaps not in the way you think.
The simple drumbeat isn't from Native American lore or even from a John Wayne Western, but from a children's cartoon segment that ran 60 years ago on the venerable "Captain Kangaroo" television show.
The "chant" music played by the Marching Illini and its pep bands and that some Illini fans contend gives them chills is from a song called "Pow Wow the Indian Boy," which introduced a simple black-and white cartoon called "Adventures of Pow Wow.