Articles & FAQs

The Word Cherokee Sells -- Are You Buying?
by Christina Berry

Ever heard of the Jeep Cherokee or the Jeep Grand Cherokee? If you've ever shopped for clothes at Target then you are probably familiar with the Cherokee brand of clothing too. That's right -- the Cherokee name sells and it sells a lot.

As a Cherokee it might be tempting to purchase these products -- perhaps out of pride for the tribe. However, these products are not associated with the Cherokee people. On the contrary, many Indians feel that the use of the Cherokee name to sell products which are not associated with the Cherokee people is an accepted form of exploitation. The matter is hotly debated, but is one that shoppers should keep in mind if their intention is to "buy Cherokee."

The popular Jeep Cherokee and Jeep Grand Cherokee are both products of the DaimlerChrysler Jeep line. DaimlerChrysler (DCX) is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange and is headquartered in Germany. They have a quarterly revenue that exceeds 35 billion dollars.

Cherokee, Inc., is the company behind the Cherokee clothes line. However this company does not manufacture any clothing. Instead they license their trademark name and logo. This company is publicly traded on NASDAQ (CHKE) and is headquartered in Van Nuys, California. They have a quarterly revenue of 10.5 million dollars.

Neither of these companies has anything to do with the Cherokee Nation, Eastern Band of the Cherokee, or the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indian. These days businesses are becoming more aware of the importance of socially responsible business practices and investment. As buyers we too should take these concepts into consideration. As Cherokees how do we feel about these companies using the Cherokee name? Should the Cherokee receive a royalty for the tribal name's use? Should companies be pressured to give something back to the Cherokee? Do you consider the use of the Cherokee name offensive and exploitational or do you consider it an honor?

The Real Deal
While the two businesses above are not Cherokee, but use the name, there are countless businesses which also use the Cherokee name. In almost all cases the people who have started these businesses are Cherokee or their business is located in Cherokee Country, on Cherokee Street, or have some other location specific reason for using the name.

One example of a business which has every right to use the Cherokee name is Cherokee Nation Industries, Inc. CNI is wholly owned by the Cherokee Nation. It is headquartered in Stilwell, Oklahoma with regional offices in Tahlequah, Oklahoma; St. Louis, Missouri; San Antonio, Texas; and Germany. This is a multi-million dollar diversified manufacturing and service company with over 150 employees (most of whom are members of the Cherokee Nation). CNI works with both government and commercial clients. CNI was founded in 1969 and is successful as a defense contractor in the Aerospace Industry as it branchs out into Telecommunications, Computer Integrated Solutions, Medical Services, and Plastics. Some of CNI's clients include 3-M, Mrs. Smith's Bakeries, and Lucent Technologies.

So if you want to use your consumer dollars to "buy Cherokee" you may want to consider exactly who the money is going to when you buy products. Even though the brand says Cherokee that may not be who your money goes to. Although CNI does not sell products for consumers to buy, you can still help to support them indirectly by doing business with the companies that contract out to them.

Related Links

• Cherokee Nation Industries