Lowell Yellowhorn, manager of Indigenous service and Todd Caughlin, athletics and recreation services director, help unveils the new Lethbridge College Kodiaks Indigenous logo thanks to eight athletes outside campus on Sept. 29. Photo by Ma. Janine Doroca.
Lethbridge College marked Truth and Reconciliation Week by unveiling the new Indigenous jersey for Kodiak athletes on Sept. 29. The event was held on campus with students, staff and community members witnessing the significant moment.
Dr Samantha Lenci, Provost and Vice President of Academic, highlighted the significance of this week.
“This week we have listened; we have learned and we have healed. We have done the most amazing announcements and words and songs and you’ve all heard that,” said Lenci, recognizing the impact of the week’s activities.
The highlight of the event was the unveiling of the new jerseys for the Kodiaks athletic program. Todd Caughlin, athletics and recreation services director, shared his perspective in storytelling and how jerseys are more than just clothing.
“The script is important, but the story means everything. And I love a good story, and that’s what these jerseys mean,” Caughlin stated.
He also expressed his sincere gratitude to those who contributed to the success of this project, highlighting Lowell Yellowhorn, Indigenous service Manager and Lenci.
After Caughlin’s speech, the athletes came forward and various sports teams’ representatives shared their jerseys.
Yellowhorn, who played a key role in creating the jerseys’ symbolic components, shared his perspective into the meaning of the design. The jersey has the official greeting of the City of Lethbridge, “Oki,” as well as the Aikowania bear logo, representing Blackfoot style art. An arrow through the bear body illustrates the animal’s lifeline and the two dots are its kidneys, which the adrenaline comes from. There’s the Pendleton pattern that adds a unique touch to the jersey and was designed by Raven Tailfeathers, a multimedia production student. The dots and cross on the back of the jersey stand in for the peaks and the morning star, respectively and are symbols from Indigenous creation stories. Lastly, the jersey has triangles to represent the mountains and dots to represent the stars.
Yellowhorn says the jersey is more than just a uniform.
“These will serve as an educational tool as well for our community to learn more about the local indigenous culture,” Yellowhorn stated.
The design pays tribute to Indigenous culture while serving as a tool for the community to learn more its connection about the Blackfoot people.
The Indigenous jersey will be worn on special occasions. The jersey reflects not just the college but also unity, healing and reconciliation.
