The Toronto Maple Leafs game on Jan. 7 was a triple “W” for fans, and for Northern Ontario. Not only was it a Leafs win over the Detroit Red Wings, but the warm up featured the design of an artist from Wasauksing First Nation, and players sported the beadwork of six women from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory.
Indigenous Celebration Night at the Scotiabank Arena was not just a celebration of culture, but also, for the beaders from Wiikwemkoong, the relief that comes with finishing an enormous project on a tight timeline.
In November, Tara Kiwenzie of Tara Kiwenzie Designs and Crystal Kimewon, who sells her work on Instagram under the name inkedbeader13, were approached by Marion Jacko, also of Wiikwemkoong.
Currently the president of the Little NHL (Little Native Hockey League) and assistant deputy attorney general for the Indigenous Justice Division at the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, Jacko was recently appointed to the board of Hockey Canada. She approached her community members with an idea, and though trepidatious, the two beaders told Sudbury.com they were thrilled at the idea.
In total, they needed to create 30 medallions in 31 days. Each medallion is approximately five inches by five inches and features the Maple Leafs logo, a blue and white maple leaf, with the players number at the top.
Kimewon, who is also a tattoo artist, beaded 20 of the 30 herself. She told Sudbury.com she has experience with large orders, though the task of trying to make all the medallions, which measure five inches by five inches, was her biggest challenge yet.
How did she get it done?
“I don't have a social life outside of work, my kids are grown and I live alone,” she said.
But also, it’s the act of beading that keeps her beading.
“Not for everyone, but for me, it is very therapeutic,” said Kimewon. “It's a time to be introspective, it's a time to reflect, a time to just sit in solitude with your own self. And I think we don't get to do that, as a society. often enough.”
Tara Kiwenzie, unfortunately, doesn’t have much time. She too runs a business, selling beadwork including the Ear Saver Barrette. Sudbury.com covered her work in 2021, when her design saved ears from the effects of long-term mask-wearing.
She also has a husband, musician and dancer, Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie, as well as two children. And, like many families recently, they all got sick. “The kids got sick, and of course when the kids got sick, I ended up getting sick,” she said with a laugh. “I was laid out for four days, I couldn't even bead. And then, I broke my toe right near the end of this order.”
Not only was it a crunch to get the medallions done in the first place, but to bead in the traditional ways, the only way these women bead, you must ensure that not only is your work beautiful, but also your spirit while you work.
“When I bead, I make sure that my intentions are good, because when you bead out of frustration, or bad intention, mistakes happen,” said Kimewon. “It was just making sure I went into it from a good space because you're putting your energy into that medallion, so it was really important to ensure that it was balanced.”
Kimewon said her auntie, Phyllis Williams Kimewon, translated the message that was included with the medallions. The messages spoke of the intentions that were beaded into the medallion. For Kimewon, balance. For Kiwenzie, it was happiness and excitement.
In December, Kimewon and Kiwenzie enlisted the help of four other friends from Wiikwemkoong: Theresa Wemigwans, Lisa Lavallee, Quinn Organ and Alaya Kimewon. All friends, Kimewon said, “it was really nice to just be able to sit and take space with people you haven't sat with for a while.”
Kiwenzie also credits her mother in law, June Taylor, for her help.
Both Kimewon and Kiwenzie said they worked in a similar way, completing a portion of each patch before moving onto the next, rather than completing one whole patch at a time.
“It’s a chain-type process where you do all the lettering first on each medallion, and then you do the line work, and then you do the fill. You do the same amount on each medallion, and then you jump to the next one. It's not such a daunting task, it's a process. And it's continuous versus completing one and then thinking, oh now, I’ve got 19 more to do.”
The medallions were presented to the players in advance of the game. You can see video of it below:
Miigwech
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 7, 2023
The Leaf: Blueprint Moment pic.twitter.com/EbZTPfj93w
Also featured in advance of the game was the new logo and shoulder patch prominently displayed on the Maple Leafs warmup jerseys. Designed by Ojibwe artist Tyler Tabobondung Rushnell of Wasauksing First Nation, the logo features the name “Tkaronto Maple Leafs.” Many say the name “Toronto” itself originates from the Mohawk word “Tkaronto,” meaning “the place in the water where the trees are standing.” It’s said to refer to the wooden stakes that were used as fishing weirs in the narrows of local river systems by the Haudenosaunee and Huron-Wendat.
You can see video of the jersey and the artist here:
Meet Tyler Tabobondung Rushnell, the artist behind our Indigenous Celebration game warm up jersey & logo pic.twitter.com/F3SCJHtAQc
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 6, 2023
Though Kimewon chose to give her tickets to friends who loved hockey, Kiwenzie took her family to see the game with the complimentary tickets offered to them.
She said she was delighted to get to watch the performances that filled out the pre-game celebration; to see her culture celebrated.
“We were so proud,” she told Sudbury.com. “It was awesome, and we were so proud.”
Chief Stacey Laforme of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation read a land acknowledgement at the game, and presented the medallions to the players. He said the gifts were important, “because they (the players) now have a direct link with the Indigenous people who did that (the beading) for them. For Kimewon, that sentence made the work, and the opportunity she had been given, really hit home.
It was the direct connection, the intention carried from the hands of Wiikwemkoong to the players on the ice, that made Kimewon truly proud.
Although, she adds with a laugh, “next time I won’t do such a short deadline at Christmas.”
You can find Kiwenzie’s work here and Kimewon’s work here.
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter with Sudbury.com. She covers the diverse communities of Sudbury, especially the vulnerable or marginalized, including the Black, Indigenous, newcomer and Francophone communities, as well as 2SLGBTQ+ and issues of the downtown core.