Indigenized hockey jerseys make professional debut

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This article was published 20/01/2020 (2266 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last week Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose players could be seen donning new threads on the ice at their respective games.

An initiative between WASAC — the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre — and True North Sports + Entertainment prompted the design of Indigenized Jets and Moose logos. The jerseys bearing the specialized emblems were revealed on Jan. 10 at Neeginan Centre (181 Higgins Ave.).

The initiative is part of the NHL’s This is Hockey, which promotes diversity and inclusivity in the sport, as well as Jets WASAC Night and Manitoba Moose Follow Your Dreams Day.

Through WASAC Night, 30 Indigenous youth from remote and northern communities attended Winnipeg’s game against Tampa Bay on Jan. 17. The next day they participated in a skating session with Indigenous hockey role models at Camp Manitou’s outdoor rink.

At Follow Your Dreams Day, 200 Indigenous youth from communities across Manitoba attended the Moose game against Laval on Jan. 18.

Jets players wore the jerseys during their pre-game skate and the Moose played their entire game in their new wardrobe.

Kevin Chief, co-founder of WASAC, described this initiative as a celebration of cultures.

“We thought (about) having something where we could celebrate our collective history and heritage — so you can’t talk about the history of Canada without talking about the unique relationship with Indigenous peoples… So if you’re a Canadian and you’re a Manitoban, whether you’re Indigenous or non-Indigenous, we have a collective history and heritage.

“When something’s important you can’t just say it, you got to show it, so we thought a really great way to celebrate Indigenous culture, sport, and pride in the loudest barn in a national hockey league, and celebrate this really amazing partnership that we’ve had with True North for the last almost 20 years,” he said.

Leticia Spence, a 29-year-old graphic designer, designed the artwork used for the jerseys.

“It’s important for us as First Nations people to see ourselves in the media and in public spaces and be celebrated at events like WASAC and Follow Your Dreams Night.

“I think it’s great to see our history and our evolution being represented through these jerseys,” Spence said. “It’s also a way to kind of shed the idea that First Nations visual art and culture has remained stagnant and unchanging.”

The special edition jerseys will be autographed and put up for auction between Thurs., Jan. 23 and Sun., Feb. 2 at https://auctions.nhl.com/

All proceeds will benefit WASAC’s programming, including continuing Jets WASAC Night and Manitoba Moose Follow Your Dreams next year, Chief said.

Indigenized jerseys wasn’t the only milestone, though.

The national anthem at the Jets game on Friday was performed in Ojibwa for the first time, by Riverbend Community School’s Zongi Ogichidaa Ikwezensag Anishinaabe Onagamoog, which translates to Strong Warrior Girls Anishinaabe Singers.

“For the first time ever at a major sporting event in this country (we heard) Ojibwa (sung) for the national anthem, by a group of young girls who have been in the bilingual program for four years, working hard to revitalize and preserve and promote that language,” Chief said.

Additionally, the national anthem at the Manitoba Moose game was performed in Cree.

“We haven’t celebrated the gifts and beauty that Indigenous people can contribute as well, and that’s what this weekend (was) about; it’s about celebrating that collective history and doing something that we just haven’t done enough of,” Chief said.