Good morning beautiful humans.
When Water Warriors was first started in 2020, it was meant as a temporary solution. We were supposed to work together for one or two summers at the most and then go our separate ways. Here we are almost 4 years later. Many thanks to the 4 OG for helping us get to where we are today.
Feedback that we received from community members regarding our logo was that it looked too much like a police badge. Partnering that with all the blues to represent the water, we did not want to strike fear into the hearts of those we serve.
I firmly believe that when it is time, Creator will give us what we need as we need it.
Water is life... We can't live more than 3 days without it. We are made up of 60% water. It's how we got our name, it's where we started. Just handing out water.
The warrior, for us, is one who sacrifices himself for the good of others. His task is to take care of the elderly, the defenseless, those who cannot provide for themselves, and above all, the children - the future of humanity. – Sitting Bull, Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux.
The "warrior" portion of the name came from the quote above. We should, as a human race, be taking care of our most vulnerable. No one should be without. The work that we do is not easy, it takes a warriors heart to connect with someone that is hurting, but to not take that hurt on as your own.
We can't do what we do without a team of helping hands. Our helping hands lovingly prepare sandwiches, snacks, water, hot chocolate, hygiene items, clothing, bedding, harm reduction supplies and so much more to be handed out on the streets, or in the ravines to the folks that need them most.
When we have the smudge supplies and the capacity to do so, we offer smudging and tobacco for prayers to our indigenous family that we meet on the streets. Access to culture and prayer is important for our indigenous peoples.
How do we put all of the above in to one image? I pondered on this question for months. Creator sent this image to me in a dream, so I wrote it down and tried my best to convey it. I am not a "drawing" artist. I am a beader and singer/drummer. I did the base artwork for this and then reached out to my partner, Scott, (who is an artist) to help me tweak it all to make pop better.
This is a buffalo (bison) hide shield. The "helping hand" around the circle represent us as volunteers. They are in the colours of the medicine wheel. The Nehiyaw syllabics in the middle stand for nipiy/water. We also have four feathers, one for each direction.
We are an inclusive group. You don't need to be indigenous to serve with us, or to be served by us. The work we do is done in the spirit of the indigenous warrior and inspired by the 60% of the folks we serve that identify as being indigenous.
Thank you for reading, we hope that you are able to walk with us someday!
Kinanâskomitin