Alouettes score points with community

When Finnley Montour answered a callout for graphic artists to imagine an Indigenous-inspired logo for the Montreal Alouettes, the Kahnawa’kehró:non artist did not think her work would be the one chosen to adorn the Canadian Football League (CFL) team’s helmet.

And yet, that’s exactly what will be happening on Saturday, September 28, at BMO Field in Toronto as the reigning Grey Cup champions visit the Toronto Argonauts.

Montour’s design – which took 10-15 hours to make – features a dreamcatcher inside the logo’s bird silhouette, with 12 points to the webbing representing the 12 players on a CFL field. 

Instead of a solid red outline, the silhouette is made to resemble the leather wrapping on the dreamcatcher. The three feathers on the logo represent a kustowa.

“I wanted to make sure that every Indigenous community was represented in the design, and not just the Kanien’kehá:ka, which is why I went with the dreamcatcher design,” said Montour.

“I was pleasantly surprised that out of all the entries that they got, that they decided to go with mine,” said Montour. “I’m very proud of this design. It’s one of my favourites that I’ve ever done.”

While the other CFL teams will also feature logo designs from Indigenous artists, the Alouettes will be doing something unique: on the back of the helmet, where the name of the team’s city is normally written, will be written Tiohtià:ke.

Montour added “Tiohtià:ke Alouettes” to the full logo design, where the words “Montreal” and “Alouettes” are over and under the bird silhouette. She did not know the team would be using Tiohtià:ke before seeing the helmet.

“To know that you know professional football players are going to be wearing this helmet, and all of Canada is going to be able to see this and see our language, it’s an incredible feeling,” said Montour.

The artist was on hand as the Alouettes visited Kahnawake this past Monday as part of leaguewide activities to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30.

Four players from the team ran flag football drills at the Kahnawake Sports Complex with kids from the community before separating into four teams to play a mini tournament.

“I love the fact that they come here,” said Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) chief Jeremiah Johnson. “The relationship that we’re forging with this organization is really special. The children get to come out and see some of their heroes, the guys they see on TV and get to participate, and it’s going to be inspiring for some of them. When one kid gets inspired, isn’t it all worth it?”

This was a return to Kahnawake for the Alouettes, who participated in a similar activity in 2023.

“We connected with a lot of people here last year, and have continued that conversation, and so it was just natural for us to come back here this year,” said Alouettes president Mark Weightman. 

He said the experience last year was special both to him and the players.

“It just opened our eyes, and I think if we can learn this much just coming out and chatting and playing some football and having fun, then we’re onto something,” said Weightman.

On top of the outreach, the goal of the day was, of course, to have fun.

As soon as the drills started, the Alouettes players were running around and interacting with the kids from the community, sharing laughs and smiles along with tips and tricks.

“It was a riot. I had a lot of fun coming out, being able to spread football and reach out to a community that, you know, we don’t normally get to visit,” said Alouettes defensive tackle Dylan Wynn.

“They’re  full of enthusiasm. To have them come out here and meet kids and talk football, it’s probably the easiest thing we can ask them all year,” said Weightman.

Wynn, an American player, said he did not learn very much about Indigenous cultures in his schooling, but was appreciative of the opportunity to come to Kahnawake and learn about the community.

“We try to represent, as the Montreal Alouettes, our community,” said Wynn. “And (Kahnawake) is such a big part of our community, and being able to directly say like, ‘hey, we’re representing you guys,’ that means a lot to us.”

After the games, kids and parents were able to get mini footballs and other items signed by the players. Every registered child at the event was also given a pair of tickets for a future Alouettes game this season. 

Montour’s logo was also shown off on the Alouettes’ helmet by Weightman, to the amazement of those in attendance – fan and player alike.

“I love it, it’s sick,” said Wynn of the logo. “It’s great to have kids be able to go, ‘hey, that’s me. That’s my culture on a professional stage.’”

“The logo is beautiful,” said Johnson. “It’s a really nice tribute, and it’s an honour, really, that they would put so much effort into acknowledging our territory, our people, and I think it’s fantastic.”

Along with the logo, the Alouettes will wear special orange jerseys during warmups, which will then be auctioned off. According to the team, the money raised will be given back to the community in Kahnawake.

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Olivier is a reporter with The Eastern Door. Prior to joining the newspaper as a staffer, Olivier covered sports and community events as a freelancer, work he has continued since joining full time in August 2024.