The crest for Trent University’s Gigigaa Migizi College was unveiled on the evening of February 10th on the second day of the 48th annual Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering, organized by First People’s House of Learning (FPHL) at Trent.

As hundreds of community members, students, faculty, and staff gathered in the Athletic Centre for a feast which included wild rice pudding and smoked fish, the audience learned more about the process and significance of the new crest which was designed by Anishinaabe artist, Jared Tait who is from Sachigo Lake First Nation. 

The university announced that its sixth college would be named Gidigaa Migizi College after elder, community leader, and Trent professor, known in English as Doug Williams, who passed away in July of 2022 at the age of 81.

According to Trent, the new college is set to open in 2028 and will consist of up to 700 beds for first-year students as well as classrooms, faculty offices, and student study spaces.

Gidigaa Migizi, which means spotted eagle in Anishinaabemowin, was a member of the pike clan and the crest incorporates features an eagle, pike, human profiles, and a portal in rich blues, turquoise, and green signifies specific aspects of Williams’ spirit while exemplifying the traditional Anishinaabe woodland arts style.

Professor Jack Hogarth noted during the feast that “when it came to the process of choosing the artists—we had a plethora of people who submitted artist portfolios—and when we were going through them, and we're looking at the different portfolios, there was one that particularly stuck out.”

“An important aspect of selecting Jared Tait for this crest was solidifying that his creative vision aligned with the college's foundational values and embodied the Anishinaabeg's rich traditions,” Hogarth said later via press release. 

Tait, who was unable to attend in person as he was at home with a new baby, said in a video broadcast across the wall of the gym that “basically what I wanted to do in this art piece was to represent Doug in the most impactful way and the most visually simple way.”

“His name is a powerful name, eagles are very respected in the culture, eagles represent a link to the spiritual world, when we pray we pray to them, we pray to that so that they can carry our prayer to the spiritual world,” Tait said.

It was important for him to include a reference to Gidigaa Migizi’s clan, Maashginoozhe (pike), as well due to it showing where one comes from in the community while the faces represent ancestral connections. The portal, which is a common element of art by First Nations artists, he said, represents a link to culture.

The evening’s emcee, Bob Gaulais spoke to the colours of the new College’s crest and their connection to Gidigaa Migizi’s clan and their being deeply symbolic of water flowing through various levels of our atmosphere and how water connects us spiritually to the land and air.