Indigenous Jerseys

UNBC takes home Canada West SID Awards

May 5, 2022 | 10:30 AM

WINNIPEG – The U-Sport conference released the winners for the Canada West Sports Information & Digital Awards Thursday. UNBC won two out of the four awards given out.

The University of Northern British Colombia’s Rich Abney claims the Video of the Year award in back-to-back seasons, this time in collaboration with 6ix Sigma Productions, Marcel Gagnon, and the Lheidli T’enneh Band. The institution also earned the Social Campaign of the Year Award with contributors Rich Abney, Trevor Angus, 6ix Sigma Productions, Christos Sagiorgis, UNBC First Nations Centre, the Lheidli T’enneh Band, and Marcel Gagnon.

UNBC created a one-minute video to promote their historic jerseys and to bring eyes to the Indigenous artist behind the design, Trevor Angus. This would make for the first-ever university athletics logo created entirely by an Indigenous artist in Canada. Lheidli T’enneh Elder Marcel Gagnon, Indigenous youth, 6ixSigma Productions and a team of local drummers where a part of this momentous project. UNBC alum Daniel Stark led the camerawork while 14 student athletes modelled the jerseys.

This became the most watched and shared video in UNBC history. Soon, it would inspire other professional sports to learn about Indigenous roots and culture.

A collaboration between UNBC’s Rich Abney, Gitxsan artist Trevor Angus, UNBC’s First Nations Centre, the Lheidli T’enneh band, Elder and Juno Award winner Marcel Gagnon and T-Wolves alum Daniel Stark (with 6ix Sigma Productions) led to the creation of a new UNBC logo, jersey, release content, annual Nats’ilnik (“coming together”) Day and long-term partnership. That partnership sees the profits of the new jerseys and Nats’ilnik merchandise going to Indigenous scholarships and Lheidli T’enneh youth programming.

This nationally broadcasted campaign helps further the Timberwolves’ efforts to contribute positively to Truth & Reconciliation. In only three years, UNBC has won four Canada West SID Awards.

The video can be watched here.