I honestly don’t really know the answer, so I spent some solid time researching this one. However, when doing research, unsurprisingly, it was very difficult to find the “correct” answer. While as humans we love to have a “right” answer, the “right” answer is often different for each person. All I can tell you is what I’ve found and what I know from my limited knowledge. 

Of everything I can find, use of the word “tribe” is either seen as negative or neutral. However, even if most people agree that “tribe” is a neutral term, we shouldn’t use a word that obviously makes part of the Indigenous community offended. This issue has a simple answer: this club is a school spirit club, so therefore the name of the club could change, without changing what they do at all. For this to be effective, we as a community just need to come up with a name that doesn’t offend a whole group of people, and that would be pretty easy. 

Sources and further reading: 

• The Trouble with Tribe | Learning for Justice
• A teen recently told me that using the phrase “find your tribe” or using the word “tribe” is offensive to Native Americans. I wanted to ask a reliable source if this is true or is simply an opinion. What are your thoughts? – We R Native.
• The Impact of Words and Tips for Using Appropriate Terminology | Helpful Handout Educator Resource
• In Fresno County, Native groups take on meaning of ‘Squaw’ and ‘Warrior’ | PBS NewsHour
• https://www.ncai.org/proudtobe