Rebranding Natives at 2010 Olympics

2010 Winter Games and Native people

A lasting legacy?

By Hans TammemagiThe 2010 Winter Olympics are taking a bold step. The Vancouver Olympic Committee is committed to “unprecedented” aboriginal participation in the planning and hosting of the games.

The goal is to encourage aboriginal people across Canada including First Nations, Inuit and Metis to participate in as many areas of the 2010 Winter Games as possible, be it as athletes, volunteers, employees, entrepreneurs, artists and performers, spectators or cultural ambassadors.

But do these promises have substance, or are they hollow political words that will be forgotten once the Olympic flame is extinguished?

“One of our greatest challenges is that indigenous participation is relatively new to the Olympic movement – there is no template we can follow,” said Gary Youngman, a VANOC official. “Past games have focused primarily on ceremonies and cultural programs. We plan to set the bar higher with the hope that future organizing committees can be inspired and learn from our experience.”

Hopes are high in the Native community. Vancouver will host “the biggest potlatch the world has ever seen,” proclaimed Squamish Chief Bill Williams.

“The 2010 Winter Games represent a turning point,” said National Chief Phil Fontaine of the Assembly of First Nations. “For the first time in Olympic history, indigenous peoples are full partners in hosting these games and we will work. ... to ensure there are lasting legacies for our people.”

The Aboriginal Pavilion, with a gleaming 20-meter sphere atop a contemporary version of a West Coast long house, will be the centerpiece of Native involvement during the games. Located in the heart of Vancouver’s cultural district, the sphere will dazzle at night with a giant high-tech screen projecting aboriginal art and themes. The images can be viewed from inside and outside.

The games offer a superb opportunity to showcase Native culture and arts to the world. But other than the Aboriginal Pavilion what is being done? Will there be lasting legacies?And:Joseph is enthusiastic about two legacies he sees emerging from these games. First, the cooperation between Natives and local, provincial and federal governments is working well and will be a good model for making future partnerships successful. Second is skills development.

“Native people have traditionally been seen as lazy and unreliable. We will break that stereotype. We will do quality work and make excellent products.” He feels the games will mark the largest rebranding in Canadian history.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Native Participation in 2010 Olympics and Olympics to Benefit Host First Nations.

Below:  "An artist’s impression of the Aboriginal Pavilion for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games."