Brand Names and Inclusivity - Please Follow Link To Learn More About ICWA!

 In the reclamation of Indigenous Identity, names are of the utmost importance. Notes about my culture: names hold a level of sacredness and are part of your holy identity, whether it be your traditional name, your personal name, the names of your pets, your businesses, your cars, etc. To the Lakota and other tribes of the Oceti Sakowin, names are given periodically through one's life, with tremendous weight and ceremony, which were kept close to our chests. Traditional names are not used as one would use a given name, and this extends to the names of our tribes and families. Sicangu Oyate and the Wanbli Tiospaye are examples of this, of sacred names that mean something, that is common across many cultures. 

Now, it is necessary to discuss the rampant use of traditional names in branding. There are a huge amount of brands that get their names from either existing names, or stereotypes across the nation. This goes further than brands, including schools and of course mascots that have no connection to their original Indigenous peoples or meanings. One of these is the Jeep Cherokee. From a logical standpoint, these names do not even make sense, meaning Principled Peoples in Tsalagi Gawonihisdi, or the Cherokee Language, coming from the descriptors used by the Cree in reference to their members.

 So, in English, imagine going to the dealership and asking if you could see a Jeep Principled People? Beyond that, the Cherokee have no connection to anything regarding Jeep or it's cars. As it stands, the Jeep brand uses the word Cherokee to describe a car, because it sounds cool. Using something because it sounds or looks cool, when it means something to a group of people who still exists, is offensive. There are many words that could work in the place of the word Cherokee in this circumstance, something that doubtlessly could be connected to whatever culture the Jeep comes from. Case and point of a word that works in this context: the Jeep Wrangler or Jeep Compass. These words are English, and make more sense in connection with cars. These words are not insensitive to use, because they are not descriptors of a people who still very much so exist. 

There are many other brands with similar issues, I will attach a link going over some brands that exist/existed, as well as a more in-depth look at why this is an issue: link to article here. 

There are far worse issues that plague our communities these days, like the overturning of the Indian Child Welfare Act occurring in just a few days which will allow for genocidal practices against our tribes to resume. That being said, these brand names existing serve as a way for our lives to be de-legitimized and moved to a less-human status in the eyes of the rest of the world. Instead of, when you hear the word Cherokee, thinking of a car, think of the people behind the words. Look up the ways you can help ICWA and other harmful policies that aim to separate and kill our communities, and don't just stand by. 

Click this link to learn more about protecting ICWA!


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