"
As a rugby club we have been willing to listen, we have consulted many people and we are now ready to bring about change
," Exeter Chiefs chairman Tony Rowe said on Thursday.
Read alsoChampions Cup: Glasgow asks Exeter Chiefs supporters not to offend Native Americans anymore
Last year, the National Congress of American Indians wrote to him lamenting that his club's brand image "
harms indigenous peoples through the offensive stereotypes it conveys
".
Opposing clubs have also asked Chiefs supporters not to wear the symbolic headdress while traveling to their stadiums.
Exeter, which won the European Rugby Cup in 2020, sports a Native American with a feathered headdress on its badge and is also home to the Wigwam Bar (referring to a kind of teepee) and the Campfire Grill at its Sandy stadium Park.
“
We are delighted to welcome the new era of rugby to Exeter.
Exeter is and always will be the most important term in our global identity
, Rowe said on Thursday.
The term Chiefs, however, is just as steeped in our history, dating back over a century, when teams in this region regularly referred to their first team as the Chiefs.
We are Exeter, we are the Chiefs!
", he added.
The Redskins and the Indians have changed their names in the United States
The nickname Chiefs will now refer to the Celtic tribe of Dumnonii, who occupied an area covering Devon, where Exeter is located, Cornwall and parts of Somerset for several centuries before the start of Roman occupation in 43 CE.
In the United States, the NFL-playing Washington football team dropped their controversial Redskins name and logo in 2020, opting to be known as the Washington Football Team.
Also criticized for its Native American branding, the Cleveland baseball team in MLB changed its name this year from the Indians to the Guardians.
