Team BC has partnered with Lheidli T’enneh artist, Jennifer Annais Pighin, to commission three unique designs that will be used on Team BC apparel and pins for the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
“These beautiful designs are going to be a huge hit at the upcoming Games,” said Coralee Oakes, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. “Congratulations to Jennifer Annais Pighin and Team BC for partnering on this exciting venture. What a great way to share the spirit of the North and the culture of the Lheidli T’enneh.”
The Lheidli T’enneh is the Host First Nation for the 2015 Canada Winter Games, the first time a First Nation has been named an official host of the Games. Jennifer was born and raised in Prince George and is a proud council member of the Lheidli T’enneh.
Holding a Bachelor of Arts from Emily Carr, as well as a Bachelor of Education from UBC, she currently teaches art at Prince George Secondary School. “I am excited to be part of this project as it involves youth. Opportunities like this are so uplifting and the chance to share the pride of our culture and our province is exciting.”
Jennifer is a snowboarder and the outdoors has been her life. “I love winter. It is my thing,” she said. Her eight year old twin boys enjoy sports including skiing and outdoor recreation, and her mother was a figure skater.
Growing up on the North Nechako River, Jennifer developed a true understanding of and strong enduring bond with the natural environment which comes through in the three designs she created for Team BC.
The Team BC scarf is a unique design of a sockeye salmon, a staple food of the interior people. Jennifer explained, “Salmon take a phenomenal journey to Prince George and they are nothing like they were when they started, changing colours and becoming lean as they move up the river.” Athletes and coaches from across Canada will also be making an incredible journey to arrive in Prince George for the Games.
Pin trading is a sport in itself at the Canada Games and the Team BC puzzle pin is sure to be a hot commodity. The three-part pin inspired by the work of her elders depicts a dug-out canoe, a traditional form of travel. The word Lheidli means “where the two rivers flow together” and the Lheidli T’enneh are part of the Dakelh people known as the “people who travel by water.”
Finally, Team BC will enter the Opening Ceremony of the 2015 Canada Winter Games wearing a shirt with an abstract landscape design that creates balance and flow while resembling the momentum of the various sports.
“It has been an honour to work with Jennifer on the creation of these designs,” said Rob Needham, Team BC Chef de Mission. “The Team BC athletes, coaches, and mission staff will wear the pieces with pride and are excited to debut them in Prince George.”
For more information on Jennifer Annais Pighin and her work you can visit her website at www.jenniferannaispighin.com
