Cherokee Nation chief asks Jeep to not use tribe’s name
The Cherokee Nation, for the first time, has asked Jeep to change the name of its Grand Cherokee vehicle, a move that the carmaker, preparing to release the next generation of the line, has resisted.
Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, said last week that the name belonged to the Cherokee people and that Jeep’s use of it without permission was troubling.
“The use of Cherokee names and imagery for peddling products doesn’t deepen the country’s understanding of what it means to be Cherokee, and I think it diminishes it somewhat,” Hoskin said.
His opposition to Jeep’s use of the tribe’s name was reported by Car and Driver magazine.
Stellantis, the carmaker that owns Jeep, defended its use of the name.
“Our vehicle names have been carefully chosen and nurtured over the years to honor and celebrate Native American people for their nobility, prowess and pride,” the company said. “We are, more than ever, committed to a respectful and open dialogue with Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.”
Jeep introduced its Cherokee SUV in 1974. After the car was retired in the early 2000s, Jeep revived it in 2014. Since that time, the Grand Cherokee has become one of Jeep’s most popular models, with more than 200,000 sold last year. Stellantis formed this year from the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot, which included Jeep in their portfolio of brands.
Companies have long used Native American names and images as marketing tools, and for many years, the Cherokee Nation did not express an opinion on Jeep’s
use of its name. But the tribe’s request comes as U.S. cities, companies and sports teams are — in response to the nationwide protests after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police last year — removing or reconsidering statues, flags, symbols, names and mascots that depict Confederate leaders or other historical figures, or that use Native American imagery and names.
In one of the most high-profile cases, under pressure from corporate sponsors, the owner of Washington’s NFL team, Daniel Snyder, in July agreed to drop its name and logo after many years of protests by Native American groups and others who called it racist.
Suzan Shown Harjo, a scholar who has been at the center of efforts to persuade teams, schools and colleges to drop Native American names and mascots, said Jeep’s explanation for its use of the Cherokee name — that it was honoring the tribe — was just an excuse.
“Of course it’s not an honor,” said Harjo, director of the Morning Star Institute,
a group that promotes Native American causes. She said the use of Native American names has been particularly painful when companies and sports teams use them without permission.
“That’s the assumption that was made by so many people about our land, water, gold, silver, copper — name a mineral. Now it’s about our imagery, our names and our cultural icons,” she said. “When does this thievery stop?”
Hoskin said he told Jeep during a Zoom meeting in late January that he did not condone its use of the Cherokee name. He said that the meeting was cordial and that he was encouraged that the company had initiated the conversation.
“A generation ago, I don’t think it would’ve occurred to them,” he said. “We’re living in a time where people are thinking a bit more about the impact of imagery and names.”
The Cherokee Nation, mostly in Oklahoma, has more than 385,000 members, making it the largest federally recognized Native American tribe.
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