EXCLUSIVE: Exeter Chiefs urged to drop "more than offensive" branding
A Native American woman who runs an indigenous rugby club in Canada says the Chiefs have ignored a letter from her
Last updated 24th Nov 2021
Exeter Chiefs' branding, which uses imagery from Native American culture is "more than offensive", we've been told.
The message comes from Melanie Squire who runs an indigenous rugby club in Canada, ahead of the Chiefs' Annual General Meeting (AGM) tonight, at which the issue is set to be discussed.
The Chiefs' branding, including the club name and badge, has been a source of controversy for many years with several groups calling it cultural appropriation.
Last month fellow Premiership club Wasps asked Exeter fans not to wear headdresses to their stadium, while The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) has offered to work with Exeter on the issue.
Melanie is a descendant from the Native American Iroquios Confederacy and part of the Mohawk nation, Turtle Clan.
She co-founded Iroquios Roots Rugby Club to promote the sport among the indigenous community and also wrote to the Chiefs in 2020 to try and discuss the issue, so we got in touch to hear her point of view.
"I think using the word offensive almost waters down the situation because it's beyond offensive in my eyes," she said.
"We take our cultural items, we hold them dear to our hearts because of how sacred they are to us.
"Something like an eagle feather for example, is one of the greatest symbolic gifts that you could receive from anyone.
"Obviously these items would never be for sale in a shop where you can just go and buy them. They're priceless items to us.
"They hold so much cultural and spiritual significance to us that it's difficult for us to see something that's manufactured, that's fake, to look like these symbols that we hold so dear to us...
"It's very harmful for us to turn on the television and see people misusing these items for their personal pleasure."
The Chiefs have been forced to address the issue before and retired their "Big Chief" mascot in 2020 after a review, but decided not to change their badge or name.
“The board took the view that the use of the Chiefs logo was in fact highly respectful,” the club said at the time.
Melanie strongly disagrees and wrote to the club last year, but never received a response.
"I felt that I had a responsibility to write the (chief) executive of the Exeter Chiefs a letter last year which I did do, which I know they did receive, and I was very cordial, I felt I was adding some education of why I felt the way that I felt about the situation and what was happening," she said.
"I honestly thought at that time that if not Tony Rowe himself, someone as an executive member would have reached out to me, because I said at the end of the letter that I would love to open up some healthy dialogue on the situation and maybe help you understand the way I'm feeling, but I got absolutely no response from anyone, other than I think Tony Rowe's secretary to say, 'yes they received the letter'".
Despite retiring Big Chief, on the whole the club has appeared unwilling to proactively engage on the issue.
Following Wasps' announcement last month, the Chiefs' Director of Rugby Rob Baxter said he did not feel a need to comment, while adding his view that he had "more important things" to focus on.
"The club needs to focus on and people, in general, want to focus on beyond whether a supporter supporting a club in Devon's going to wear a headdress or not," he said.
"That is most people’s view on it, that is certainly my view on it in the here and now.
"I’ve got to be careful what I say, I’m not overly affected by it.
"I take a pretty simple view on these things, I tend to look at things from a lot of perspectives.
"Right here and now when you see what’s really going on in the country and what’s really important, that’s what I’m focusing my energy on. And I know that’s what the club are doing as well, and people in general.
"So for me, it’s a little bit of a non-story," he said.
"The Exeter Chiefs always state that they're respectful"
We put that view point to Melanie and asked how not receiving a response to her letter made her feel.
"The Exeter Chiefs always state that they're respectful of the Indian warriors and the bravery and they honour us, so I thought 'ok, so, you as executives see this letter, written to you from the president of an indigenous rugby club and you paid no attention to it at all, or what it said in there.'
"You honour our people so much that it's blasted all over your stadium and your fan culture, but you don't want to speak to somebody of indigenous descent about the situation?"
A non story?
As mentioned above, Melaine is not the only person to have contacted the Chiefs' asking them to stop using Native American branding.
The NCAI has also written to the club asking them to reconsider their badge. They have also called the tomahawk chop chant used by fans "degrading".
Melanie told us she does not believe Chiefs fans or indeed the club are being intentionally offensive, but that they simply do not understand the implications.
"For those people it probably is a non issue because this isn't your way of life," she said.
"You don't understand our way of life, you haven't taken the time to educate yourself on our way of life.
"The only thing that some people see is a trendy, cool aesthetic that they admire...
"To the people that don't understand why we get upset, it's because it is for you a non issue, and that's fine, but just know that for us it is an issue and it's not offensive, it's wrong.
"We're not complaining, we're not trying to be a nuisance. We're trying to explain to you why this is wrong for us.
"If you honour our people then listen to what we're saying."
When contacted by us, a spokesperson for Exeter Chiefs said they would not be issuing a statement until after the AGM.
"It’s a discussion point for members at the meeting, after which the board will go away and consider the views of the members and a decision will be made," they said.
"It’s not appropriate for us to comment on what the members may or may not decide before this meeting."