How Humber College is embracing reconciliation through rugby

When it came time to replace last season's worn-out rugby uniforms, the athletics director at Humber College knew he wanted to honour the culture of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

The college, where Ray Chateau has overseen athletics for the last decade, is located primarily on the First Nation's traditional and treaty lands. 

Colleagues put him in touch with local Indigenous designers, who took the old striped uniform and made it new: adding eagle feathers, beads and a pendleton pattern to the white, blue and gold jersey.

Chateau says he's thrilled the new look was ready before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

"The jerseys were an opportunity for Humber to show its commitment to truth and reconciliation," he said during last week's home opener.

WATCH | A closer look at the Humber Hawks' Indigenous-inspired jerseys:

"And also an opportunity for athletics to honour the lands that our games are played on."

The goal is to similarly redesign more Humber team uniforms, Chateau said. He hopes other schools will follow suit.

Humber has a department of Indigenous education and engagement, which helps facilitate Truth and Reconciliation cultural awareness training and promote Indigenous culture at the school. 

The new jerseys were designed by Tribal Lands, a youth-led streetwear brand started by the Native Youth Resource Centre (NYRC) in Toronto.

NYRC supervisor Justin Moore  was on hand for last week's jersey unveiling at half-time, alongside a handful of young designers. He says they designed the new jerseys to reflect the cultures of a variety of First Nations found in Ontario.

"The Tribal Lands youth team come from various backgrounds – we have Cree, Ojibwe, Mohawk, etc.," he said. "And collaboratively, they developed a pattern that resonated amongst all of them."

Their pattern moves the Humber "H" to the sleeve, adding an eagle feather to the logo, while a hawk, the team's mascot, features on the crest.

"Eagles and hawks are very much respected in the (First Nations) community, and in the culture as entities or bodies that fly in the air closest to creator," Moore said. "Tribal Lands felt (it) was a good representation, both of Indigenous culture as well as the Humber Hawks."