The Montreal Alouettes have unveiled an Indigenous version of their logo ahead of Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The logo will be featured on the team’s helmets during its upcoming game against the Toronto Argonauts and was inspired by an artist from Kahnawake, a First Nations reserve located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. The Alouettes will also wear orange jerseys during warmup before the matchup, which will then be auctioned off with proceeds going to Kahnawake.
The new logo was inspired by the dreamcatcher with grooves inside the red lines depicting leather. The strap features star-shaped designs, each of which have 12 points to represent the 12 players on the field in Canadian football. The three feathers represent the ‘kanien’ as the Mohawks wear three feathers in their traditional gustoweh headdress.
‘Tiohtià’ was the traditional name for the land now called Montreal, which is why it’s featured in the logo alongside the word ‘Alouettes.’
The Alouettes will visit Kahnawake on Monday to engage with youth and play flag football. This marks the second annual trip for the team.
“We are aware of the history of our Indigenous communities, and we were very touched during our visit to Kahnawake last year. Both the local people and our players appreciated learning more about their culture,” said team president and CEO Mark Weightman in a statement.
“The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is important for our organization. We look forward to unveiling our logo that pays tribute to Indigenous communities ahead of our game in Toronto. Initiatives like this make us proud and help shine a light on a community that deserves it. It’s through efforts like these that we will make progress.”
The Montreal Alouettes (11-2-1) will visit the Toronto Argonauts (7-7) on Saturday, Sept. 28 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT.
