Exeter Chiefs for Change

We are a group of Exeter Chiefs fans, rugby fans, Native Americans and Indigenous peoples, calling for English Premiership rugby team Exeter Chiefs to end their use of harmful and inappropriate use of Indigenous imagery in its branding. This includes the logo illustration of a caricatured Indigenous chief, the fans' use of headdresses / warbonnets, the ‘Tomahawk chop’ chants, and the other ways Indigenous themes are used by the club, for example the bar names around the ground which include the Pow Wow bar, Wigwam bar, Cheyenne Bar and Mohawk bar. Many Indigenous peoples & organisations have asked all companies and sports teams to stop using them as mascots and logos because of the harmful nature of these images. Even images which are seemingly positive (brave warriors etc) are out-dated and one-dimensional stereotypes. Images like this perpetuate misleading and reductive stereotypes that erase the many vast distinctions between the hundreds of different nations and cause proven harm to Indigenous peoples, their well-being and mental health - particularly that of Indigenous youth - contributing to issues such as MMIWG (missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls) and high suicide rates. We are not campaigning for a change to the name “Chiefs” - we don’t believe this needs to change because it has separate meanings away from Indigenous culture, including a history of being used to refer to the first team in rugby in the Westcountry. There is therefore not an issue with the name, just with the Native American imagery which the club has chosen to use alongside it. We are amplifying the voices and requests of Indigenous communities, raising awareness of the harm of dehumanising a group of people in this way, and encouraging our club and our sport to demonstrate rugby's values by giving equal respect to all.