REDBLACKS to wear special Indigenous logo on helmet Saturday in Saskatchewan

This weekend, the Ottawa REDBLACKS, as well as the entire CFL, will observe The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, with a special logo, and orange jerseys when they head to Saskatchewan to take on the Roughriders.

In previous seasons, the REDBLACKS have worn the orange warm-up jersey, but this season, they’re following the lead of other teams around the league, and putting the logo on the helmet for the first time. Designed by Mike Ivall, the logo is meaningful in many ways, and has a personal connection to its designer.

Ivall lived the first handful of years of his life with the Chippewas of Georgina Island, before he moved to Toronto. It was there that he fell in love with the Canadian Football League, attending Argonauts games with his aunt, eventually becoming a die-hard fan.

After his aunt passed away, his love for the game dissipated, but in 2017, his passion was rekindled, partially thanks to the REDBLACKS.

“When I came back, I loved watching Henry Burris and Brad Sinopoli, so I felt like Ottawa was my second team, on the low down,” Ivall said with a laugh.

In the same way he re-found his passion for the CFL, Ivall has worked to reconnect with the culture he feels was left behind in his move to Toronto all of those years ago. He’s forthcoming, noting that he’s still doing a lot of learning, but it’s something he has become dedicated to.

Part of his process has been his artwork, including redesigning a handful of CFL logos. While the REDBLACKS are the only team to officially adopt Ivall’s work, he has been going through nearly all of them, creating new versions that help him connect with his roots once again.

“This is me coming back to culture,” Ivall said. “It’s me finding my way. I have felt the calling later in my life, and in my head, I knew I had to attach myself to my culture.”

Inside the logo, there are two significant elements. The first one is what is known as the medicine wheel. It’s a white, yellow, red, and black wheel that has been used for generations for health and healing. But the meanings are nearly endless, Ivall says.

“It represents direction, unity, elements of the culture, and all of the races,” Ivall said. “It’s everything that we hold value for.”

The second major element is on the bottom right side. Ivall describes it as a “squiggly line,” but adds that it means far more than that.

To him, it’s the creator. It symbolizes everything that is, was, or ever will be.

“I put him in everything,” Ivall explained. “For me, he is everything. The creator is me, and it’s you. We’re all connected through that. He surrounds everything. It’s a big part of me right now.”

While other elements of the logo don’t hold some deeper meaning, they stand out as an expression of who Ivall has become. It’s his own style, and the combination of the jagged edges of the saw blade and the smooth, rounded details work together to express his journey.

If there’s one thing he wants to get across with this design, it’s that we’re all in this together, regardless of race, sex, or sexual orientation.

“No matter what colour you or I am, we’re still connected,” Ivall said.

Following the game, the orange warm-up jerseys will be donated to an Indigenous community in the Ottawa area.