As the Oklahoma Cherokee nation has asked Jeep to change the name of its iconic Cherokee and Grand Cherokee vehicles, at least one local Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians council member thinks it is a step too far.
Council Representative Bucky Brown, who serves Snowbird and Cherokee County on the EBCI Tribal Council called the situation “ridiculous.”
He said that the use of Native American names and mascots did not bother him.
“I didn’t oppose the Washington Redskins thing, because it doesn’t offend me,” Brown said. “We’ve got the Washington Redskins and the Kansas City Chiefs. I’m not offended by any of that.”
In a statement to Car and Driver magazine published Feb. 20, Oklahoma Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said that although he thought it was well-intended, it was time for Jeep to stop using the name after more than 45 years.
“The best way to honor us is to learn about our sovereign government, our role in this country, our history, culture and language and have meaningful dialogue with Federally recognized tribes on cultural appropriateness,” Hoskin said to Car and Driver.
The Cherokee Nation is a separate tribe from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina, and is formed from the descendants of those driven away from the South by the U.S. Government on the Trail of Tears in 1835.
Car and Driver also stated that Jeep had reached out to the Cherokee Nation regarding Hoskin’s comment.
“We’ve got more important things to worry about than a mascot name,” Brown said.
Tribal Council Chairman Adam Wachacha – who also represents Snowbird and Cherokee County – declined to comment or offer his own views on the issue, but said he would bring it up at the council’s next meeting, to see if the tribe wanted to take any action.