OKMULGEE, Okla. (AP) — The Muscogee Nation announced a new brand identity on Tuesday that drops the ‘Creek’ reference from its name that the tribe says can confuse the public.
Muscogee Nation creative manager Brian OnTheHill also created a new logo for the tribe that took inspiration from Mississippian design on pottery and shell carvings.
In a statement Tuesday, the tribe said its name in all official business would remain the Muscogee (Creek) Nation as specified in its Constitution. Still, “Creek” is a misnomer coined originally by British colonists, OnTheHill said.
“We are not denying our history,” OnTheHill said. “We are declaring our own identity.”
The Okmulgee, Oklahoma-based tribe is one of the largest in the U.S., with more than 87,000 citizens.