Longhorns

Although some may call her crazy, Cathy may have a point. In Texas, football is given an almost spiritual reverence, drawing crowds who fill the stands with a near religious fervor. A friendly competition between two teams can take on epic proportions here in Texas. It comes as no surprise that this is especially true at the University of Texas, in the state’s capital. When one looks closely, however, one may see that there is a little bit more than school spirit behind the football games—there is also an aspect of totemism for the longhorn. All around the stadium—and around campus—U.T. students and fans can be seen making the “Hook ‘em, Horns!” symbol. When they point their pinkies and index fingers in the air and hold their middle and ring fingers down with their thumbs, their hands resemble longhorn heads. Even aside from this, the very word “longhorn” symbolizes Texas. While it is the school’s mascot, the longhorn is far more to U.T. students and alumni; it is a totem that is revered and worshipped.

In general, a totem is “an animal, plant, or inanimate object with which a social or religious group feels a special affinity and which is often considered to be the mythical ancestor of the group” (Encyclopedia Americana, 374). According to Jones, it is “a system of beliefs and practices based on the central principle that there exists a mystical kinship between individuals or groups within the community and various natural objects” (426). The totemism at the University is slightly different, however, from that practiced by various tribes and clans throughout the world. In many cases, students participating in totemic rituals do not even realize that they have a totem animal. Also, the group worshipping the longhorn is not a tightly-knit group of families; it is a very large and diverse group of students, alumni, and staff from all over the world. And, quite frankly, most people associate totemism with more “primitive” indigenous groups, not a modern, civilized university. Since this is a university in a capitalist society, there is also an aspect of commercialism involved in our totemism. Quite a bit of money is made off our totemic instincts. Even though it is slightly altered from its original, tribal form, the totemism is here.

But is this devotion to the longhorn not just an expression of school spirit? Some may argue that we do not worship the animal, that we simply chose it as our team name and that we are cheering on our teams and showing our school spirit as we chant “Go, Horns, go!” There is a fine line between enthusiastic school spirit and totemism, however. For example, chanting “T-E-X-A-S…Texas fight!” during the playing of March Grandioso is not directly totemic. Making the longhorn hand symbol while chanting that, however, is totemic. The fight song, Texas Fight, is not totemic, but the large flag with the longhorn logo that the cheerleaders run with during the playing of Texas Fight is. One reason that the distinction between simple school spirit and totemism is so blurred is that the longhorn is historically a symbol of Texas. Ever since “those pristine times when waters ran clear, when free grass waved a carpet over the face of the earth” (Dobie, 301), the longhorn has been a totem animal for the entire state. It is a breed that evolved here in Texas and is associated most closely with Texas. Now, at the football games, the cheers “Yea Texas!” and “Go Horns!” are virtually synonymous. The totemism is so ingrained in Texas culture that we hardly notice it anymore. Generally speaking, though, any expression of school spirit that refers to the longhorn is also an expression of totemism.

The most obvious and striking aspect of U.T.’s totemism is Bevo, the current representative of the enduring symbol. Since 1915, the University has had over a dozen different Bevos, each with his own personality and history. When the first Bevo was presented to the university, his place as the University’s totem animal was assured. T.B. Buffington, who formally presented Bevo to the students, called the longhorn “a mascot or protecting spirit that now and in future years will bring good luck to the institution and its teaching” (Bump, 368). He also recited this poem:

Now old cow, we have put you where
You can do some good with your horns and hair.
Take off that dignity, rub off that frown;
Put on a sweater, not a cap and gown.

Get in the game as a mascot should
And show these bullies that you can make good.
And after the game with a victory won,
We will toot ‘em up, you old son of a gun! (Bump, 369)

In his simple speech, Buffington established Bevo’s place as the University’s totem animal. Bevo is revered and respected as the “luckgiver” (Bump, 369) and protecting spirit for all of U.T. Longhorn steers do not live forever, though, so Bevo is periodically replaced. On at least one occasion, Bevo has been eaten. "It is taboo to…eat or kill the totem, except in ritual sacrificial ceremonies, in which the animal is elaborately praised and lamented” (Jones, 426). Bevo I was “fattened up and became the barbecued main course for the January 1920 football banquet” (Nicar, 371C). He was sacrificially eaten, and then his “head and horns were mounted and hung in the U.T. athletic office” (Bump, 370). Although Bevo was eaten, it was with great ceremony.

On game days, two other longhorns can be seen parading around the stadium. We have two students who dress in longhorn costumes. One, Hook ‘Em, wears a furry longhorn mascot suit. He usually wears a football jersey and cowboy hat. We also have a larger “air suit” mascot. His uniform is filled with air—not unlike the large balloons in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, only smaller, on the ground, and with a person inside. These two mascots are students who have, to an extent, become the totem animal. During the pre-game ceremonies, there is a strangely totemic video played from the Jumbotron. In this animated movie, a herd of longhorns stampedes through Austin. They start at the capitol (since the longhorn is a totem of Texas), run past the Tower, and finally come up to the stadium gate. On either side of the gate, there are two football player statues (Ricky and Earl, two of the team’s former Heisman Trophy winners). The statues come to life and shoot lightning out of their hands, hitting each longhorn and transforming them into muscular, bipedal, burnt orange longhorns that start to run through the gate of the stadium. At that point, the video fades away and the football team runs out of the gate and onto the field. The video implies longhorns have turned into the team. This brings us back to the idea that the longhorn is “the mythical ancestor of the group.”

The stadium even sets itself up as a shrine to the longhorns. In the north end-zone is the ever-prominent Jumbotron. Throughout the game, different images and videos are shown on the big screen. One common image is that of a large, metallic longhorn (similar to—but different from—the aforementioned pre-game bipedal longhorns). The figure is reminiscent of a superhero. "The totem is generally regarded as a protective, benevolent being, although its supernatural power may also arouse fear” (Jones, 426). This “supernatural” longhorn is meant to be fierce and intimidating. It encourages the fans to chant “Texas fight!” or to make noise when the team is on defense. While that image is projected in one end-zone, a light in the shape of the longhorn logo looms in the other end-zone. This burnt-orange light is visible from far away. It sits at the top of the main gate and looks out over the entire field. It represents the spirit of the longhorn watching over the game. The same logo is also on the center of the field, on the awnings over the staircases, and on some of the seats. It is an ever-present symbol of the ever-present longhorn spirit.

This longhorn spirit is also demonstrated through the many spirit groups and totemic rituals at the games. There are at least half a dozen student spirit groups at any given game. The Silver Spurs are probably the most totemic of all. They care for, guard, and protect Bevo. They even throw him a birthday party each year. The cheerleaders are another obvious group at the games. They cheer on our team while chanting things such as “Go Horns!” The Hellraisers, Hellraiser Honeys, Texas Heat, and Orange Jackets are all spirit groups who come to the games, sit near the sideline, and cheer for the football team. The Wranglers fire a cannon every time our team scores. The Longhorn Band is another large part of the ritual. Before the game, the band marches down to the stadium with their longhorn hand symbols held high and chants “Go, go, go horns, go! Go, go, go horns go!” During pre-game, they play March of the Longhorns. Virtually every instrument has a longhorn sticker on it. During the games, they even ring cowbells to distract the other team. Every spirit group plays a part in the totemic rituals and ceremonies of the football games.

Up until now, I have only discussed how U.T.’s totemism parallels that of other societies. There is, however, one unique aspect to our totemism: commercialism. We are a part of a capitalistic society, so it is inevitable that someone would find a way to make money off our love for Bevo. In fact, a great deal of money is spent by students on spirit wear. At any given home game, the stands are a virtual sea of orange and white. It is rare to see more than a handful of people in a shirt of any other color (unless they are from the rival team). Almost everyone on campus has at least one Texas T-shirt. The Co-op, its outlets, and many other area stores sell T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, pants, hats, socks, shoes, backpacks, purses, tank tops, dresses, skirts, jewelry, gloves, wallets, underwear, shorts, ponchos, umbrellas, leashes, coolers, cups, bed sheets, temporary tattoos, stickers, notebooks, pens, pencils, stationary, magnets, car decals, golf bags, golf balls, chairs, towels, and many other items with the copyrighted longhorn logo on it. There are clothing and accessories for men, women, children, babies, and even pets. One can buy almost anything with a longhorn logo on it. The Co-op and its outlets can sell all of these things and more to make a huge profit on the totemic instincts of the University’s fans. Merchandising, though, is not the only way to capitalize on the U.T. community’s totemism. There are many special seats in the stadium that have the longhorn logo on them. These are reserved for those who have paid for season tickets. Even when Bevo is eaten, the plates can run $1000 each. And anyone—not just UT alumni and fans—can buy a plate. People will pay a great deal of money to satisfy their totemism, and this is exploited. Commercial totemism is unique to our environment; most totemic societies lack it. Even though it is a product of our capitalistic society, not our totemism, it still colors our totemic practices.

Longhorn totemism encompasses all members of the U.T. community, from the students who do no more than put their “Hook ‘ems” up at the football games to the cheerleaders and Longhorns themselves (that is, the football team). U.T. students have taken what was originally an agricultural entity, a historical symbol of Texas, and appropriated it as their totem animal. The longhorn spirit is now so ingrained in the culture of the University that most people don’t notice how totemic it is anymore. Our totemic instincts are so strong that entrepreneurs can easily capitalize on them by selling anything and everything with a longhorn logo on it for ridiculous prices. Even though most people would be hesitant to associate totemism with any group other than indigenous tribes, our totemism is simply a modern-day version of the religious practices of many Native American groups. The greatest difference between U.T.’s totemism and that of other groups is that entrepreneurs can capitalize on our totemic instincts. U.T. fans will buy almost anything with a longhorn logo on it for ridiculous prices. Our love of and dedication to the longhorn has made it transcend its status as a mascot. The longhorn is an omnipresent force that is revered and worshipped on campus. It is truly our totem animal.