Here are a few more links examining the Indigenous presence in the games!
- Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples & The Vancouver 2010 Olympics – Unprecedented Inclusion?– Ryan McMonohon Comedy
The argument I’ve been hearing is that with the “inclusion” of First Nations in the games marks the NEW start to a world wide relationship with us as Aboriginal Peoples living in Canada. The term “unprecedented involvement” has been thrown around quite a bit and I wonder what that means exactly? Are we involved because we danced in the Opening? Are we involved because there is an Aboriginal pavilion at the games where “the world” can see us perform, sing, dance, rap, etc.? Are we involved because we had to be because the Games were taking place whether we liked it or not and to be “a part” of it made more sense than not; at least we get to represent ourselves right?
To me, Canada had a chance to REALLY change the way the world sees “US” and how THEY (Canada) sees “US.” I can’t help but go back to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and how Canada has participated in adopting (actually, NOT adopting) it. Currently 143 countries have signed it and 4 haven’t. The countries that haven’t signed are Canada, the US, New Zealand and Australia. Australia has recently signed and New Zealand and the US are currently said to be close to signing. That leaves Canada. To show TRUE appreciation for it’s Aboriginal Peoples and while on the world stage – could Canada have done more to let people know where they stand? Should they have? I mean, we did get to “dance” at the Olympics, but shouldn’t we ask for more?
Irniq is put off by the Olympic logo because of its human form. Its fat legs and outstretched arms make it look a little like a hockey goalie, and the head has a hint of a smile. Irniq says his people rarely stacked rocks to resemble humans.
“It’s a symbol of the fact that someone may have, um, committed suicide or someone may have murdered somebody at that spot,” he says.
If people are interested in looking at an example of an inukshuk that’s not associated with death, he says, they should look at the flag of Nunavut, which features a more traditional inukshuk.
Alano Edzerza, owner of Vancouver’s Edzerza Gallery and the acclaimed artist who carved the 10-meter native art mural at Vancouver’s GM Place (an arena to be used for the Olympics), together with ASICS, has unveiled their ground-breaking collaborative design for the Netherlands Olympic team uniform.
The designs were unveiled at a fashion show hosted by ASICS at Arnhem’s Olympic Papendal Hotel and Conference Centre (Papendallaan 3, Arnhem, NETHERLANDS). The event was streamed via a feed and is available on demand at www.edzerzagallery.com and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-YYmIlJdrQ