Grand Chief Edward John of the First Nations Summit, an organization that represents native bands in British Columbia involved in treaty negotiations with the provincial and federal governments, said Monday some native leaders were so upset with the new Vancouver 2010 Winter Games logo they were prepared to walk out of an unveiling ceremony held Saturday night in Vancouver’s GM Place Stadium.
They are so upset John said his group plans to write letters to both the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) and the International Olympic Committee outlining its concerns, reports the Canadian Press.
Vancouver 2010 organizers selected a stylized Inukshuk as their Olympic logo, a symbol with deep roots in the Inuit culture. It’s a directional marker that signifies safety, hope and friendship.
John said First Nations people have supported the Olympic bid and he questioned why a design by a First Nations artist wasn’t used. He said, “the person who put this together is not Inuit”.
He added, “with no disrespect to the Inuit, certainly the Northwest coast has produced some world class art forms and artists who are First Nations. You would have thought there would have been some effort to reflect that in this and it isn’t.”
