New coins feature work by Native artists

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In April, Inuit artist Kenojuak Ashevak of Cape Dorset, N.W.T. will have her art printed on a new 25 cent coin. The coin called "Our Northern Heritage" is a tribute to Inuit art, and its launching will be part of the celebration that will mark the creation of the new territory called Nunavut.

Jason Edward Read is from the Sechelt Nation in British Columbia. Read's work will be on a coin to be launched in October at the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver. The coin is called "A Tribute to First Nations" and depicts an eagle, a bear and a killer whale, which are meant to represent the air, land and sea. Read is 23 years old and lives in Vancouver. He is a student at the Institute of Indigenous Government.

These are the new millennium coins. The Royal Canadian Mint plans to launch a coin each month in various locations around Canada. This year's first coin was launched in St. John's, Nfld. on New Year's Eve. It depicts early Aboriginal drawings inspired by the petroglyphs located at Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park near Milk River, Alta.

There will be 24 coins in all, one set for this year and the next set for the year 2000.

"Each quarter will have a picture of an historical event or an achievement that helped shape Canada's past 1,000 year history," said Pierre Morin, communications officer for the Royal Mint in Ottawa. "Next year's coins drawings will look to our future in the new millennium."

The mint, which has marked anniversaries and Canadian events on coins for more than 60 years, is presenting these recent coins in honor of the year 2000. In last year's contest called "Create a Centsation" there were 33,000 people who sent in their artwork for the designs. Only 12 were selected. The winners of the designs were selected by a panel of 13 judges, three of whom are Aboriginal.

"We hope to get as many submissions this year," said Morin. "We already have 15,000 submissions for next year's selections."

Artists from across Canada can enter the contest. The deadline is June.

All coins will be available from the Royal Canadian Mint, coin dealers or distributors. Collector quality sets of 12 coins will be offered for sale to the public. For more information call the Royal Canadian Mint at 1-800-267-1871.