Premiership rugby club Exeter Chiefs will no longer promote the 'Tomahawk Chop' at games as it begins a new chapter in its history this season.
The Tomahawk Chop has been a popular move at Sandy Park, particularly since the club was promoted back to England's top flight in 2010. Used as a rallying cry to welcome players onto the pitch at the start of games, the chant was also regularly heard as a celebration and general morale-booster.
But it will no longer be pushed at games as the Chiefs step away from their native American theme and iconography. It was confirmed in January that the club would rebrand itself following complaints of cultural insensitivity.
Exeter already revealed their new crest and theme is inspired by the Celtic Iron Age Dumnonii Tribe, who once inhabited the region now known as Devon and Cornwall (and some parts of Somerset). The club already retired its 'Big Chief' mascot last season, as well as renaming Sandy Park's Wigwam and Pow Wow Bars after castles in Exeter.
The Tomahawk Chop has in the past been used by other sports franchises that take inspiration from native American culture, including the Kansas City Chiefs (NFL) and Atlanta Braves (MLB). Fans push and pull their extended arm back and forth in a 'chop' motion while chanting in an indigenous style.
However, the act has links to 'scalping', which entails the removal of part or all of an enemy's scalp by force. Evidence of scalping exists in cultures across the world, though it has been commonly associated with native American culture in particular.
"It's going to end up somewhere between half a million and a million pounds," club chairman Tony Rowe said of the rebrand costs . "It's not just changing the logo, as such, there are other things associated with it.
"You can't expunge history. People have asked me if we're going to stop them wearing their old shirts – of course we're not, but life has moved on. Some people find it [native American imagery] unacceptable and we're happy to change."
It's understood Exeter are in discussions in regards to replacing the Tomahawk Chop with a new run-out theme. The Chiefs get the new Premiership campaign underway at home to reigning champions Leicester Tigers on September 10.