Chief Illiniwek had his last dance Wednesday night. I never thought I’d say this, but it was time to put away the war paint and say goodbye.

I never thought I’d say that because I didn’t see why Native Americans got so upset about the whole mascot thing. Chief Illiniwek has been around 81 tradition-soaked years and never scalped a soul.

But Illinois caved in to the jackboots at the NCAA, which decreed Chief Illiniwek “hostile and abusive.”

The whole thing is hostile and abusive, all right. Hostile and abusive to common sense.

At least that’s what I used to think. Now I’m thinking I was wrong.

My views were based partly on an aversion to political correctness and largely on emotion. I was attached emotionally to Chief Osceola.

His performance before Florida State games is one of college football’s great scenes.

I’ve known people who put on the show and many more who cheer when the flaming spear is planted at the 50-yard line.

They are not intolerant, much less racist. It bothered me when critics accused them of both.

FSU has taken great pains to be culturally sensitive with its mascot and nickname. And as fans are always quick to point out, the school has the blessing of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

That’s what cleared FSU during the crackdown of 2005. Well, that and the fact every Tallahasseean from Jeb Bush to the janitor at Seminole Auto Supply threatened to nuke NCAA headquarters.

Offending schools were barred from playing host to postseason athletic events.

An Illinois student has dressed in buckskin and a headdress since 1926, and the vast majority of fans didn’t want the show to end.

Unlike FSU, the Illini couldn’t get a hall pass from any tribe. After a big stink, Wednesday’s game against Michigan was it for Chief Illiniwek.

Watching from a distance offered a different view of the debate. I’m still about as politically correct as a lawn jockey, but it’s hard to see much difference between a kid in Illinois running around dressed like a Native American and a kid in Florida running around dressed like a Native American.

Every school says it is only trying to honor the fighting spirit of Native Americans. That’s undoubtedly true, but what if they don’t feel honored?

Can you see why some might be put off by thousands of white people doing the tomahawk chop and yelling, “Scalp ’em!” when their team is trying to win a game? And just because Seminole tribal leaders say it’s OK, should it make it OK with every Native American?

Imagine if a school somehow got the blessing of the Mandinka tribe to change its mascot to a historically accurate spear-carrying warrior. Would all Africans be expected to give up the right to be offended?

And yes, these days, somebody always will be offended by something. This is where I used to think that if Native American names must go, we must be sensitive to all poor souls who might be bothered.

That argument always is taken to the illogical extremes. As if UC Santa Cruz should change its name because it offends Banana Slugs. If you can’t tell the difference between a Banana Slug and a Native American, you need a course in U.S. history before continuing this discussion. Not that I expect it to go anywhere.

As far as FSU is concerned, the issue is settled. The Seminoles are attached to their name, and I still understand why.

It’s just that now I see why some Native Americans never will understand.