LEAF ✱ DEBRIEF | collective bargaining

Hello folks at Tribal!

I hope this email finds you well. It might be a little long because I have some cool pictures to include and lots of great stuff to say, so I'll try to start off quick!

First off: I buy a lot of your products. I love them and recommend them to everybody, and continue to do so to this day in spaces your team hasn't even reached yet, like Bluesky! The reasons for that are in the image below. Basically, you grow great weed, and there are lots of companies that I've had to navigate dense moral strife with, none of which are you.

Like... I really love the branding vibe you have going, really. The matching colours, even on the ceramic tips of the cartridges, which have triangle holes on the coil intake... a swag shop was definitely merited for that. So much that I have the track jacket (with my favourite flavour!) to prove it. Looks great, feels great, nice quality.

So with that in mind, I'll say next that I have every intention to continue buying your weed. It's good. I like it.

The reason I'm writing is that tiny little feedback point I included in the first set of screenshots, from Bluesky, where I've migrated recently from a 6K-follower-strong Twitter account (too much white supremacist imperialism going on over there! yikes!). However, that's how I used to contact you (heya, it's me, Jasper from L✱D!!) so now I have to write stuffy emails. I prefer yakking on socials but here's what I've got for the luxury of longer writing!

Basically:

I've asked around to see if your brand name, "Tribal", reflects any kind of Indigenous relationship in your brand!
From what I've heard (potentially not the whole story!) that is not the case
I work closely with many Indigenous people who are rightfully upset by frequently having their culture appropriated
Love the brand, still.
Want to work with you to see how we can improve this somehow!

That leaves me with a tricky challenge: your brand identity is primarily based on a name that may not feel appropriate to Indigenous communities if the brand doesn't reflect any Indigeneity. I want to help both of you! But, if I'm being honest, I want to help them first because the name is important to you but to them might represent something else about your brand. Like white supremacist imperialism, the thing we're all running from Twitter for, and the thing their families ran from literally before being summarily wiped off the planet in majority!

I don't think Tribal represents imperialism. In fact, I know they don't, otherwise I wouldn't trust my love for their brand so much.

So here's what I'm proposing:

We work together to find a solution that works for everyone
I can connect you with Indigenous groups local to you to discuss!
I'd suggest paying them for consultation since they know and care a lot about their culture and make jobs of it often
I can mediate as a token white guy with lots of weed knowledge, connections, and nothing but good intentions.
You gain new brand recognition as the brand that Turned It Around and included Indigenous folks when asked!

How does this sound folks? Something you'd be interested in working out with us?

Thanks for your time reading this, and any consideration you might give!

Love,

Jasper @ L✱D

Hi Leaf,

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your concerns. I genuinely appreciate the opportunity to address this matter. My name is Dara Woods-Briskin, and I am privileged to serve as the Director of Marketing at Cannara.

The decision to use the term "Tribal" was rooted in our ambition to foster a sense of community, underpinned by shared experiences, interests, and the collective culture surrounding cannabis and its genetics. It's essential to highlight that our choice of this term was in no way motivated by, nor meant to evoke, any associations with the indigenous community.

We deeply respect and admire the rich history, culture, and contributions of our indigenous community. I'd like to reaffirm with emphasis that the ethos and narrative behind our brand do not intend, in any capacity, to represent or appropriate the indigenous peoples or their cherished traditions.

The 'worlds' within our Tribal concept are imaginative creations, inspired by the gaming universe. They operate from a first-person player perspective, where each new genetic we unveil is a metaphorical uncharted territory awaiting exploration. As a case in point, our Gelato Mint Vape cart, featured on the back cover of the KIND magazine last Fall, envisions an ice world setting.

We genuinely hope this provides clarity on our intentions and the context behind our branding choices. Our utmost priority remains to respect all communities and to remain sensitive to their unique histories and identities. We always welcome feedback, and I'm grateful to you for bringing this to our attention.

Wednesday August 16, 1:13pm

Hi Leaf,

How would you rate the help Dara gave you?

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Thanks!

Hi Dara!

Thank you very much for your kind response! I'm sure you've got lots on your plate as the Director of Marketing, and I appreciate the opportunity to connect with you.

I had a feeling that might be the case! The sources I trust for this kind of industry minutia told me they weren't aware of any Indigenous relation, nor did my Indigenous cannabis industry friends, but I wanted to make sure I'd done all my due diligence before bothering you directly.

I'm thrilled to hear that you hold this deep respect for Indigenous cultures, something I do as well, which is why I'd like to offer my help.

The intent behind the name seems perfectly reasonable to me, so before I offer anything concrete, I'd like to go back and check with the Native Friendship Centre of Montréal for a more local opinion on the name with this information in mind. Indigenous cultures are complex and varied, and while matters of culture in relation to business tend to have similar treatments, I don't want to assume the opinions I've gathered in Ontario will be ubiquitous.

I want to ensure that you know I am not (and was never!) questioning your intent, which I see to be good. I am just trying to make you aware of an issue I see frequently leading to conflict due to lack of awareness, which tends to eclipse intent (in the same way the intent to never commit crime does not exonerate anyone if a crime is committed). This is my attempt at a proactive solution that I think will lead to good things for your business, because we'll have the opportunity to work with your local groups early on in the event we need to.

Thanks for your attention in this matter!

Jasper @ L✱D

Tribal (Cannara Biotech)

Tuesday August 15, 11:16am

Wednesday August 16, 1:08pm

Wednesday August 16, 1:13pm

Thursday August 17, 9:45am