With the recent passing of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada on September 30th, I figured it was a good time for me to share a jersey design concept that means a lot to me that I have been working on for the Peterborough Petes. The Petes have done special themed nights jerseys in the past, most recently Pride night, TPT, Sick Kids, as well as others, and I hope one day that an Indigenous themed jersey will be next. While creating these jerseys, my focus was on integrating the Peterborough community with our local Indigenous history as much as possible in the design and I feel confident that i was able to do so while keeping the design simple yet bold.
Firstly, the crest on the centre of the jersey was designed by Joshim Kakegamic, an Indigenous artist born at the Sandy Lake First Nation reserve in 1952. The symbol was selected as the coat of arms for Gzowski College at Trent University in Peterborough and according to the university, "Peter Gzowski College celebrated its official opening in October 2004 as the only Trent college without a crest. Instead, this new college chose to use a piece of art created by Joshim Kakegamic in 1975. A classic and recognizable piece of Kakegamic’s work, the piece features a loon with outstretched wings ready to take flight." This symbol has strong ties to the Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes regions, representing the many lakes and rivers in this area and the diverse wildlife, such as loons, that call this beautiful Mississauga Anishinaabeg land home.
Next is the crest highlighting one of the core messages of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. The patch reads 'Every Child Matters' and has become a familiar phrase associated with not only September 30th, but for Indigenous awareness in this country as a whole. On this day we wear orange which was inspired by Phyllis (Jack) Webstad's experience of having her orange shirt, given to her by her grandmother, and taken away upon arrival to residential school. Phyllis (Jack) Webstad is a Northern Secwepemc author from the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation. The orange colour reminded Webstad of her experience and “how my feelings didn't matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing." The orange colour and shirt now symbolizes how the residential school system took away the Indigenous identities of its students. The association of the colour with the First Nations goes back to antiquity, as the colour represents sunshine, truth-telling, health, regeneration, strength and power. The 'Every Child Matters' patch is paired with Orange accents on the ends of the sleeves, bottom of the jersey and top of the shoulder.
The jersey also attempts to incorporate the 4 colours of the Indigenous medicine wheel which represents the alignment and continuous interaction of the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual realities. There is a white based jersey, a black outline around the numbers, names and letters, the red eye of the loon and a yellow outline of the orange on the bottom of the jersey and sleeves.
Lastly are the shoulder patches on both the right and left sleeves of the jersey. These patches display the logo for the Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre, a very important organization in this region. Before the city became known as Peterborough, this area was known as Nogojiwanong, Ojibwa for “place at the end of rapids.” The shores of the Odenabe River were a gathering place for Indigenous people. The Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre strives to enhance the quality of life for Indigenous People in the City of Peterborough and the surrounding area. They provide a place of acceptance and well-being for urban Indigenous people through a wide range of community-based programs & services. The Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre is an extremely important piece of the City of Peterborough, representing and reflecting on the past, present and future of local Indigenous people in this area.
I hope you all appreciate the jerseys as well as the thought that went into them as much as I did and thank you for allowing me to share the Indigenous history of the Nogojiwanong, Ojibwa and the inspiring Indigenous peoples who helped bring the designs and stories to life. How we can make these jerseys even better is for the 'Petes' logo to be redesigned by local Indigenous artists but for the time being I am extremely proud of these jerseys and hope someone from the Petes organization sees the importance of an Indigenous themed night at the Peterborough Memorial Centre. Any feedback or discussion about the jerseys, or Indigenous history is always welcome with me!
Chi-Miigwech!
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