Our Orange Shirt Day Game on September 27, 2024, is another opportunity to reflect on how we can support our Indigenous communities by honouring and remembering residential school survivors. It’s a time to gather as a larger community to advance truth and reconciliation.
Tanner Timothy, known by his ancestral name nənqəm, is from the Sliammon First Nation. His artwork was selected in an artist call-out affiliated with the BC Lions. He drew inspiration from his late father, Jackie Timothy, a residential school survivor. Tanner was raised sitting in the cedar chips of his father’s creations as his father taught him lessons from his great-grandparents Jim Lahsah Timothy and Molly Timothy (Nee: Bob).
He got to collaborate with Indigenous artist, Corrine Hunt, who designed the original BC Lions logo for the Orange Shirt Day game in 2021. Timothy and Hunt have revamped the 2024 Orange Day Shirt, implementing two Lion paws: one adult and one child paw.
“This design is made in honour of my late father Jackie Timothy, a residential school survivor of St. Augustine in Sechelt, B.C. It is also for all survivors across Canada who are still surviving the legacy of residential schools. The goal is to bring hope and healing,” Timothy said.
The Adult Paw:
Starting from the left, the paw represents a healed human. The human figure reflects a residential school survivor who’s healed from their experience. The human was healed through coming back to Indigenous culture, teachings and language. Next to the human, Timothy added an eagle, a thunderbird and a killer whale. These animals act as spirits that lift us and support us, according to Timothy.
The Child Paw:
The smaller paw represents our children and future generations. On this smaller lion paw, Timothy chose symbols that would uplift the youth and future generations.
The child’s paw embodies the beauty of nature and the welcoming of new life. In the order from left to right, there’s a butterfly, a hummingbird, a bumblebee and a frog.
These animals help sustain the ecosystem. The butterfly, hummingbird and bumblebee help pollinate, they help bring new life to the world.
The frog lives in two worlds, living both in the water and on the land. The frog represents balance, our connection to the land and the sharing of wisdom.
“Fostering the sharing of knowledge and culture for the children is important. These two paws and the designs within them complement each other in the spirit of building strength, highlighting our resilience and uplifting people,” he added.
Tanner Timothy is an artist, Indigenous speaker, Indigenous consultant and advocate for truth and reconciliation, Aboriginal rights and title, and Indigenous governance. Timothy obtained a bachelor of arts in geography from Trinity Western University and a postgraduate advanced diploma in geographic information systems from BCIT.
His late father, Jackie, was a master carver and an artist. From a young age, Timothy learned from his father at home in their workshop.
“I was always around my father when he was carving at home and when he was drawing and painting. Often, I would be sitting in the cedar chips and watch him create. It was a beautiful experience. I’ve always admired his skill. He was such a spiritual person and expressed his spirit through his art,” Timothy recalled.
Timothy said his father was taken away from home at the age of four and forced to attend St. Augustine’s Indian Residential School in Secheltm for over 11 years.
Timothy’s father was raised by his grandparents, Jim Lahsah Timothy and Molly Timothy (Nee: Bob). Timothy recalled one teaching from his great-grandparents which was to, ‘Be proud of who you are and remember where you are from.’ The expression from his great-grandparents motivated Timothy’s father to preserve their culture, traditions and language and most importantly keep it alive.
As a strong advocate for residential school survivors, Timothy’s mission is to keep his father’s story alive — including educating the next generation.
“Sharing my dad’s story is important, for his voice can no longer be heard, but it can through me. I want to tell the truth of our shared history in a way that can create understanding and form the ground for creating reciprocity,” he said.
The Orange Shirt Day game serves as a symbol to educate and inform people about residential school history, Timothy says. It is also an important reminder of Phyllis Webstab’s bravery to share her story and create the Orange Shirt Day.
So please join us in honouring and remembering residential school survivors on September 27th, 2024, at BC Place where we will be handing out 10,000 shirts to fans. BC Lions are also honoured to be gifting the Orange Shirt Society with a $20,000 donation.