Concordia Indigenous Student Centre - kihêwak kâpimihâcik
GRAPHIC DESIGN • LOGO • BRANDING
Service Area: Creative
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Special thank you to Elders Wil Campbell, Theresa Cardinal and Francis Whiskeyjack for guidance and feedback throughout the process.
Client
Concordia University Edmonton
Year
2023
The logo creation for the Indigenous Student Centre at Concordia University began in August 2023 with a naming ceremony attended by Elders, Faculty and other invited guests. With the guidance of Elders, the name kihêwak kâpimihâcik - ‘Where the Eagles Fly’ was gifted by ancestors.
During the naming ceremony, the Elders shared stories of love, purpose, resilience and culture relating to the eagle. The four eagles in the logo are the bald eagle, golden eagle, spotted eagle and a prairie eagle. These four eagles are found in this region of Treaty 6 Territory. The eagles are flying together representing strength, community and achievement. The colours of the four eagles represent the medicine wheel - white is north, yellow is east, red is south and blue is west. The colours and directions of the medicine wheel are symbolic of the cycles of life and dimensions of health.
The sweetgrass around the centre of the logo symbolizes kindness, strength and honesty. Sweetgrass is a sacred medicine that purifies thoughts and the environment.
A sacred fire is at the centre of the logo representing ceremony while the eagles are flying towards the fire, representing going to ceremony and connection. The eagles and sacred fire surrounded with the sweetgrass represent a safe space.