Olympic committee blunders with Inuit-inspired logo

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The unveiling on April 23 of the official logo of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games at Whistler, B.C. has upset many of the province's First Nations people. The logo chosen is an inuksuk, which is an Inuit symbol specifically known as "ilanaaq," meaning "friend" in the Inuit language.

An official press release states that the figure represents the deep connection between Canadians and their breathtaking natural environment, with its arms reaching for the sky and uplifting souls. It is a friend who will help Canadians greet the world in 2010.

Grand Chief Ed John of B.C.'s First Nations Summit states that he has the greatest respect for the Inuit, but his group, which represents 150 of the province's First Nations, questions why the work of a West Coast artist wasn't used.

"The hosting area has produced some world class art forms and artists, and there appears to be no effort to reflect that," he said recently. "If the games were being held in Yellowknife, it would be most acceptable, but it isn't a good representation of the work of our local artists."

John is afraid the decision about the logo is "a done deal. There is not likely much we can do to change it, but there is a possibility we may be able to get a secondary trademark to use."

The First Nations Summit works closely with the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and the B.C.

chapter of the Assembly of First Nation, and as such would have been happy to participate in the selection of the official logo.

"But we weren't invited to have any input into the decision."

A group known as the Four Host First Nations Secretariat, which includes the Lil'wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tseil-Waututh people located in the lower mainland where the games will be held, was established last fall. Its mandate is to ensure that the protocols and traditions of the four First Nations of the area are acknowledged and respected throughout the planning, staging and hosting of the games.

"Talking to people from those communities, I've discovered that they, too, were shocked when the logo was unveiled," added John, who compares the choice of the symbol to equal the unlikelihood of a totem pole being chosen to represent games held in the north of Canada.

"It just doesn't fit the culture of the area, and we can't understand why the organizers wouldn't consider that."

The selection of the logo was accomplished by a public competition, and a panel of nine judges considered more than 1,600 submissions from across the country. The logo chosen was designed by Vancouver graphic designers Elena Rivera MacGregor and Gonzalo Alatorre.

"This is another example of disrespect, because it wasn't even an Inuit artist who designed it, so the whole incident just gets worse and worse," continued John.

The idea of a secondary logo would be similar to the concept of sports teams that have a third jersey with an additional identifying symbol.

"We'd like to see the Olympic committee take a serious look at accepting a logo that was designed by a West Coast Aboriginal and reflects our local culture. Members of the Four Host First Nations submitted entries to the contest and those should be considered," he added. "This is a very bad blunder on the part of the Olympic committee."

Readers can make comment on the issue by phoning the Vancouver 2010 office at 1-877-408-2010, or writing to Suite 400, 1095 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 2M6. The e-mail address is info@vancouver2010.com.

"We have written to them ourselves and encourage everyone else to do so as well. This story won't go away any time soon," said John."

Chief Bill Williams of the Squamish First Nation is a member of the Four Host First Nations Secretariat and expresses a different opinion, however.

"We aren't as upset as others are. We are looking at the bigger picture. The 2010 Olympics is a Canadian event and it is only the third time it's been held in Canada. The fact that the Olympic committee used an Idigenous symbol is wonderful progress, as we were not represented in any way at the earlier celebrations in Calgary and Montreal," he said.

"What we hope will happen is that there will other opportunities to present a West Coast trademark, for example on the Olympic torch or the medals, and we can have a strong influence on the design," said Bill Williams, who confirmed that one member of the secretariat sat on the committee that chose the logo.

"It may have been only a single voice, but it represents the first time an Aboriginal has been asked to be on an Olympic board in any decision-making process, both inside or outside Canada," he continued. "We have to consider all the positive events that have come out of this. Then we can look for other opportunities to showcase our local culture."

Leah George-Wilson of the Tseil-Waututh First Nation agrees.

"Considering the Aboriginal voice was not present at the other Olympic games that Canada has hosted, we feel that being included in the organizational process represents real progress," she said. "As Coast Salish people we have much appreciation for our Inuit neighbors in northern Canada and actually like the friendly message the logo imparts."