Explanation of the River of Life: First Nations Logo

The coloured swirls indicate the trouble and turmoil that is going on in the lives of those affected by suicide. The yellow behind the swirls relates to hope, similar to the rays of sunshine in the Centre for Suicide Prevention logo. The turtle was introduced to reflect a popular First Nations beginning story, called "Turtle Island".

Explanation of the River of Life: Inuit Logo

The coloured swirls are flipped on their sides to emulate the aurora borealis, which is seen frequently in the north of our continent, land of the Inuit people. We felt that the aurora borealis would speak to their culture. Also, Inuit people would connect to the stylistic representation of the aurora borealis because this beautiful phenomenon is part of their familiar landscape.

There is also reference to the healing powers of the aurora borealis, which is a great concept for this particular course. The "rays" or lights of the aurora borealis convey a feeling of hope in the darkness of the night sky.

Explanation of the River of Life: Métis Logo

The coloured swirls have had their centre removed and are doubled up to create the widely accepted symbol of the Métis, the infinity symbol (sideways 8).

We felt this would be the best way to represent the Métis, as the infinity symbol is the most widely accepted symbol of the Métis people. By transferring the coloured swirls to this logo we have brought the same feeling of trouble and turmoil to which the Métis people relate.

The blue background was added to create a continuity with the Métis flag, which has blue in the back to represent the North West Trading Co. colours.