Alberta North athletes wearing specially designed jerseys for Arctic Winter Games

Members of the Northern Alberta basketball team are turning heads with their uniforms at the 2023 Arctic Winter Games in Wood Buffalo, Alberta.

The jerseys feature Indigenous artwork designed by Denésoliné artist Emma Voyageur from the Athabasca First Nation in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta.

Originally created for the Keyano College basketball teams’ jerseys in 2021-22, ABA adapted the design for use at the Arctic Winter Games. Team Northern Alberta’s basketball jerseys celebrate the culture of the Wood Buffalo Area as it hosts the winter multi-sport event from Jan. 29 to Feb. 4.

Voyageur explained the design in a Keyano College article:

“Colours in Indigenous communities/cultures vary from nation to nation. It holds symbolism and is represented in our teachings, political movements, and traditional ceremonies. When creating the jerseys, I initially hoped that each of them would stand out individually but also complement each other; I chose colours that are historically powerful in indigenous culture and are described in our medicine wheel (red, yellow, black, and white). The medicine wheel has many interpretations and meanings embedded within the colours, such as environmental significance and the way Aboriginal peoples see the world and humanity.”

ABA wishes to thank Keyano College, Alberta Sport & OneTeam Sports Group for helping make the jerseys happen.

The Wood Buffalo 2023 Arctic Winter Games includes athletes from the Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut, Alaska, Greenland, Nunavik (Northern Quebec), Northern Alberta and the Indigenous people (Sami) of Norway, Sweden and Finland. Follow the competition online at awg2023.org.