Syilx artist selected for Indigenous Night Jerseys for Penticton Vees

After entering a contention connected a whim, Wynona Paul says she was jumping for joyousness erstwhile she recovered retired she had won.

The contest: the accidental to person her creation featured connected the WHL Penticton Vees’ Indigenous Night orangish jerseys.

The logo the Indigenous multi-disciplinary designed honours the Four Food Chiefs.

“Chief Black Bear skəmxist, helium was the archetypal 1 to laic his beingness down for our radical and the 3 different nutrient chiefs followed, determination is Saskatoon Berry siyaʔ, the main of each of the things that are bully that turn supra the ground, [Chief Salmon] n’tyxtix is the main of each of the animals successful the h2o and Chief Bitterroot, spitlem that is main of each that is bully beneath ground,” said Paul.

The orangish jerseys volition beryllium worn astatine the crippled connected Jan. 31, erstwhile the Vees look disconnected against the Cowichan Valley Capitals. Then, the jerseys volition beryllium auctioned off, with each the funds raised going toward the Orange Shirt Society.

“It’s celebrating civilization but besides [raising] consciousness and educating our public, our fanbase and our assemblage astir the trials and tribulations and the suffering our section Indigenous colonisation has gone done the residential schoolhouse program,” said Fraser Rodgers, Penticton Vees’ vice-president of concern operations.

For the Indigenous artist, being capable to assistance rise funds for the nine is simply a full-circle moment.

“I americium learning who I americium done my art, it has been truthful amazing. I americium the archetypal procreation successful my household to not spell to residential school, truthful my aunties, uncles and my parent went to residential school,” said Paul.

“For america to instrumentality this measurement is precise big. It’s 1 large measurement towards the reconciliation of my radical and being capable to revitalize our civilization and to revitalize our language.”

Paul volition besides instrumentality the crystal wearing her ain orangish jersey to sing the Okanagan Song with her sister, nephew and a person astatine the South Okanagan Event Centre connected Indigenous Night.