Best of CASE District VIII Award
 

Institution: University of Northern British Columbia

Title of entry: Nats'ilnik: UNBC's historic Indigenous logo and jersey

About this entry: This year, the University of Northern British Columbia became the first Canadian university or college to debut a completely Indigenous-designed logo and jersey for its varsity programs, as part of complete effort to strengthen relationships and representation throughout the region.

Collaborating with Gitxsan artist Trevor Angus (a former UNBC student), the university used consultation from the Lheidli T'enneh peoples, as well as the UNBC First Nations Centre and UNBC Office of Indigenous Initiatives to rebrand the school's Timberwolf logo. The design also utilized Carrier (Dakelh) language and syllabics.

As part of the release, UNBC worked with Juno Award-winning elder Marcel Gagnon, who gifted the university with a song (used in the video), and provided voiceover work. The uniforms were smudged by Indigenous elders is a private ceremony.

Nats'ilnik Day ("Coming Together") was created as an annual event, where the jerseys are worn, an elder provides a traditional welcome, drummers provide in-game entertainment, and the local Indigenous youth are bussed to and from the game.

Finally, Timberwolves fans and supporters were given the opportunity or order their own customized Nats'ilnik jerseys, or purchase gear with Trevor Angus's art, with all profits going to Indigenous scholarships, and programming for Lheidli T'enneh youth programming.

The efforts created the most impactful project in the university's history, garnering National attention and recognition, while raising the profile of UNBC's commitment to Indigenous relations. The creation of Nats'ilnik Day (meaning coming together), as well as the scholarship program will create a tremendous legacy of the project.