'This is just the beginning': Oilers hold first Indigenous Celebration Night
The Edmonton Oilers will hold their first Indigenous Celebration Night on Monday as they host the Seattle Kraken.
Lance Cardinal of Bigstone Cree Nation was brought on by the Oilers as a consultant to create a logo which features the Oilers mark in the body of a turtle highlighted by eagle feathers, a release from the Oilers read.
The logo is said to represent creation, wisdom, and spirituality surrounded by the colours blue, green, gold and white, which are all culturally significant to the Cree people.
According to Cardinal, the turtle is a reference to Turtle Island, the land upon which all 32 NHL teams compete.
“We, the Indigenous people of Canada, call North America Turtle Island,” Cardinal explained.
“I thought it would be amazing to bring in that idea of Turtle Island, something we all share and love and something that would bring everyone in Canada together to celebrate hockey and to celebrate the Oilers, and of course celebrate Indigenous culture.”
Cardinal told CTV News Edmonton the Oilers approached him with the idea as they wanted to “start a new relationship with the Indigenous community.”
The organization wanted to bring someone onboard who could bring an “authentic voice” to the process.
“I wanted to think of something that would encompass all of Canada that would talk about the First Nations, the Métis and Inuit people, and of course would also celebrate our country,” he said.
(Source: Lance Cardinal)
In addition to the logo, Cardinal has written a Treaty Land Acknowledgement that will be voiced by Chief Willie Littlechild to honour the shared use of Treaty 6 Land at every game, the release noted.
“We’re starting a new world of reconciliation in my opinion, and that’s one that’s person to person,” Cardinal said.
“This idea of the land acknowledgement, I thought and recommended, we do from the First Nations perspective, from our voice. To say welcome to the land we have lived on and we can all share together. This is the territory you’re in.”
Throughout Monday, fans will see postings from the team in both
English and Cree. It’ll also be supporting Native Counselling Services of Alberta as the 50/50 partner.
“This is just the beginning,” Cardinal said. “They want to have a long-term relationship with the First Nations community, and the Metis and Inuit community here in Edmonton.”
“There are some really exciting things coming down the aisle very soon.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Doctors combine a pig kidney transplant and a heart device in a bid to extend woman's life
Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.