Two years ago the Cherokee tribe demanded that Jeep should stop its “unauthorized” use of the Cherokee name.
Not unauthorized.
One of Foster’s books on the history of Jeep includes this self-documenting picture:
When AMC rebranded the Wagoneer to Cherokee in 1974 (note the license), it had the full approval of the Tribe. And you can be sure the approval was well-paid and well-documented. The Tribe has been running big business expertly for 100 years, from oil to casinos.
Smart marketing: The wagon in the picture is the same color that Wright called Cherokee Red. AMC recognized that Cherokees are a high-status reference, just as GM recognized the positive flavor of Chief Pontiac. The modern tribes are trying to destroy their own respectability by redefining respect as hate.
In fairness: Now that EVERYTHING is Balkan and political, Chrysler is probably smart to remove the endorsement. Things were genuinely different in 1974. There was more room for ordinary likes and dislikes. The rulers hadn’t yet turned every taste and distaste into either a command or a crime.
Polistra's Mill 