I was approached by the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) Montreal Region to create an Indigenous Land Acknowledgement decal/sticker to be worn on the players' helmets for the 2021-2022 season. The Montreal Canadiens do a Land Acknowledgement before every home game, and the Montreal region of the PWHPA wanted something similar by highlighting the original occupants of the land they are playing on.
This project came about around the time the Montreal Canadiens came under fire from the Quebec government for saying the Mohawks were the original land occupants. I had to be very careful with what terms I used, so I could appease the non-Indigenous people, as well as my people, the Kanien'kehá:ka, also known as the Mohawks.
I ended up giving them three options to choose from, as I did want to have one option that highlighted the Indigenous people who still live on on this land. Kahnawa:ke, the town that I grew up in, is 15 minutes away from downtown Montreal. I wanted to make sure I had at least one design that acknowledged the people who still live in the area. Kanien'kehá:ka means the People of the Flint, also known as the Mohawks. Haudenosaunee is our word for the English word, Iroquois. Please see the button below for further explanation regarding the designs, the language, the pronunciations, and stories behind the designs.
