Exeter Chiefs to drop Native American branding with new badge
Premiership rugby club Exeter Chiefs will alter their branding and drop Native American associations following widespread criticism.
The new branding, which cites its roots from an Iron Age tribe, will be in operation from June.
Native American groups have previously called for the former European Champions to drop the branding, which featured a Native American chief, on grounds of cultural appropriation.
In a statement, chairman and chief executive Tony Rowe said: “We are excited to welcome in the next era of rugby within Exeter.
“Exeter has and always will be the most important term in our overall identity.
The term Chiefs, however, is equally entrenched in our make-up, going back to over a century ago when teams in this region would regularly call their first teams that of the Chiefs.
“As a rugby club we have been willing to listen, we have consulted far and wide, and now we are ready to invoke change.”
The Chiefs chose to drop their mascot ‘Big Chief’ before a replacement, reportedly called Tom-a-hawk, was quickly removed too.
Chiefs began the season without a main sponsor, before using a company ultimately owned by club chair Rowe.
Some industry experts told Morning Wire that a reason for a lack of external sponsor could be the branding.
Chiefs’s new imagery descends from the Dumnonii tribe, which was based in the South West for “many hundreds of years before the Roman occupation from AD43”.
Exeter say, historians believe people were “living in small kingdoms known as ‘chiefdoms’ which were ruled by high chieftains” – Exeter have held the Chiefs name since 1999.
Exeter’s next Premiership match is on Saturday away to London Irish as they look to break into the top four.