How Humber College is embracing reconciliation through rugby
New jerseys designed by local Indigenous youth, unveiled ahead of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
When it came time to replace last season's worn-out rugby uniforms, the athletics director at Humber College knew he wanted to honour the culture of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
The college, where Ray Chateau has overseen athletics for the last decade, is located primarily on the First Nation's traditional and treaty lands.
Colleagues put him in touch with local Indigenous designers, who took the old striped uniform and made it new: adding eagle feathers, beads and a pendleton pattern to the white, blue and gold jersey.
Chateau says he's thrilled the new look was ready before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
"The jerseys were an opportunity for Humber to show its commitment to truth and reconciliation," he said during last week's home opener.
WATCH | A closer look at the Humber Hawks' Indigenous-inspired jerseys:
"And also an opportunity for athletics to honour the lands that our games are played on."
The goal is to similarly redesign more Humber team uniforms, Chateau said. He hopes other schools will follow suit.
Humber has a department of Indigenous education and engagement, which helps facilitate Truth and Reconciliation cultural awareness training and promote Indigenous culture at the school.
Indigenous design comes from local youth
The new jerseys were designed by Tribal Lands, a youth-led streetwear brand started by the Native Youth Resource Centre (NYRC) in Toronto.
NYRC supervisor Justin Moore was on hand for last week's jersey unveiling at half-time, alongside a handful of young designers. He says they designed the new jerseys to reflect the cultures of a variety of First Nations found in Ontario.
"The Tribal Lands youth team come from various backgrounds – we have Cree, Ojibwe, Mohawk, etc.," he said. "And collaboratively, they developed a pattern that resonated amongst all of them."
Their pattern moves the Humber "H" to the sleeve, adding an eagle feather to the logo, while a hawk, the team's mascot, features on the crest.
"Eagles and hawks are very much respected in the (First Nations) community, and in the culture as entities or bodies that fly in the air closest to creator," Moore said. "Tribal Lands felt (it) was a good representation, both of Indigenous culture as well as the Humber Hawks."
The pattern that runs up the sides of the shorts and shirt is the traditional pendelton pattern, found on many North American Indigenous blankets, infused with Humber's gold and blue, along with the Tribal Lands logo.
The new jerseys are more than just a symbol of reconciliation though, Moore said. Tribal Lands uses all profits from its garments to support youth programming at the NYRC, with the exception of the brand's orange shirts. He says profits from those go toward aid for residential school survivors.
Jerseys unveiled ahead of national holiday
Several young designers from Tribal Lands accepted a framed jersey from the school during the opening game's half-time ceremony.
Shiyana Isaac, who is from Moose Cree First Nation in the James Bay area, was one of them.
Isaac says she was excited to see what she and her peers designed being worn by a Toronto school and that it may even have inspired her academic plans.
"I don't go to Humber. I'm not into college yet," she said. "But I think after (the ceremony), definitely it will be something that I look into when I do go."
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