Delphine Red Shirt. Photo by Rich Luhr / Flickr
What’s in a name?
On The Outside Looking In
By Delphine Red Shirt
Native Sun News Columnist
nsweekly.com If you enter the keyword Lakota in an organization that is called “Charity Navigator” you will see how many nonprofits use the name “Lakota.” A total of sixty-nine (69) names appear. We all know how the Cherokee feel about the use of their tribal name. The Navajo went as far as filing legal proceedings against a clothing retail company named “Urban Outfitters; a company that conveniently located itself near college and university campuses. In Navajo Nation versus Urban Outfitters, Inc., the three hundred thousand (300,000) members Navajo Nation, on June 30, 2011, sent Urban Outfitters a “Cease and Desist” letter, asking the company to stop using the name “Navajo.” The tribe licensed the name “Navajo” in an agreement with a Texas based company that monitors it and alerts the tribe to possible infringement. In the Urban Outfitters case, the Navajo tribe accused the company of violating federal and state trademark laws. Urban Outfitters denied the claims and asked that the tribe’s federal trademark registrations be cancelled.
Find the rest of the story on the all-new Native Sun News website: What’s in a name? (Contact Delphine Red Shirt at redshirtphd@gmail.com) Copyright permission Native Sun News
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