Indianz.Com > News > Gaylord News: Muscogee Nation debuts new logo and seal in rebranding effort
Muscogee Nation drops colonial era name in branding
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Gaylord News
Leaders of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation say they are dropping “Creek” from its name as part of a rebranding effort, but not all members are on board with the change. Some complain their identity is being stripped away from them and what they’ve known their entire lives.
“What are we, a symbol or a people?” tribal member Bill Davis asked earlier in May. “If that had some wording on it to identify who we are as a people, then I’m for it, but if you’re doing it as a symbol to be more invisible, then I’m against it.”
However, Brian OnTheHill, the tribe’s creative manager for marketing and tourism, said the new brand still will be rooted in history and tradition.
“In order to solidify the nation’s identification and keep the connection to the tribal seal, we chose to use ‘Muscogee’ as the tribe’s sole name,” OnTheHill said.
“The British coined the misnomer ‘Creek,’” he said. “When this alias appears in parentheses alongside the proper name of the nation, it creates confusion amongst the general public and it is often mistaken as an interpretation of Muscogee, or the two are read together as if it were one name.”
Despite the tribe’s expressed good intentions, some members said they are upset they weren’t able to offer input into such a major decision.
“We are a tribe of many creative people, and we love our nation,” artist and social activist Dana Tiger said. “It would be great if we could come together to an agreement on what would represent us the best.”
Galen Cloud offered a suggestion for a change that would bring the tribe back to its roots.
“We know who we are as Muscogee people,” he said. “I’m glad they took the Creek out, but I wish they would have gone back to the original spelling. If you look at it and you see the spelling of Muscogee it’s easy to pronounce.
“The traditional spelling is Mvskoke. My understanding is that the public at large couldn’t pronounce Mvskoke as Muscogee because of the V in it. Now we have the opportunity to correctly spell Muscogee, and we don’t because we still want to appease people.”
The nation also created a new logo to be used as a representation of the tribe. OnTheHill describes the meaning behind the logo in a video, but it was not made known to all members.
“I have no idea what the meaning behind (the symbol) is,” Tiger said. “I was surprised that they just changed it.”
“That’s kind of the way the tribe has always been,” Davis said. “It’s just a handful of people that make decisions for the whole and people have just learned to accept it. If I wasn’t on the computer yesterday and this weekend, I wouldn’t have known that this happened.”
![muscogeenation](https://indianz.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/18/muscogeenation.jpeg)
Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Cronkite News has partnered with OU to expand coverage of Indigenous communities.
![muscogeenation](https://indianz.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/18/muscogeenation.jpg)
Search
Filed Under
Tags
More Headlines
John Christian Hopkins: When a Narragansett runner made it to the Olympics
Cronkite News: Street sports on display during Olympics in Paris
The Conversation: A surprising discovery at Stonehenge
Native America Calling: Native Playlist with Geneviève Gros-Louis
Tribes lobby Biden administration for another national monument
Navajo Nation honors Code Talkers on special day
Native America Calling: Recalling how Yaqui resistance shaped Mexican and American colonization
ProPublica: Lac du Flambeau Band faces class action lawsuit for high-interest loans
Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association kicks off annual convention
Native America Calling: Native Bookshelf with Anton Treuer
‘Supercharged’ for Indian Country: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz wrap up big first week
Attorney General discusses tribal issues and public safety in speech
‘Extreme hardship for our people’: San Carlos Apache Tribe loses power for nearly a day
Grist: Rez dogs are feeling the heat from climate change
National Museum of the American Indian hosts Native Cinema Showcase
More Headlines
Cronkite News: Street sports on display during Olympics in Paris
The Conversation: A surprising discovery at Stonehenge
Native America Calling: Native Playlist with Geneviève Gros-Louis
Tribes lobby Biden administration for another national monument
Navajo Nation honors Code Talkers on special day
Native America Calling: Recalling how Yaqui resistance shaped Mexican and American colonization
ProPublica: Lac du Flambeau Band faces class action lawsuit for high-interest loans
Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association kicks off annual convention
Native America Calling: Native Bookshelf with Anton Treuer
‘Supercharged’ for Indian Country: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz wrap up big first week
Attorney General discusses tribal issues and public safety in speech
‘Extreme hardship for our people’: San Carlos Apache Tribe loses power for nearly a day
Grist: Rez dogs are feeling the heat from climate change
National Museum of the American Indian hosts Native Cinema Showcase
More Headlines