The story behind our logo.
We are proud and grateful for the art work of one of our young people, Deinaira. This drawing represents the logo for Gi Zhawenimin.
For the logo, I chose to draw an adult loon with two duckling mallards sitting on its back, next to an adolescent loon, swimming in calm water, inside a smudge bowl, all being supported by an eagle’s feather. The loon is important to me because it was my 4th foster mom’s clan. She was a very memorable, kind, caring, genuine person I’ll always remember. Also because it’s my mom’s clan (who I met through Gi Zhawenimin).
And one day she told me something I didn’t know about loons, and that was that they adopt ducklings (a different type of water bird) that don’t have a family, and that the loons will take them in, accepting them, and ultimately raising them as their own, despite their differences. I added a smudge bowl to represent culture and cleansing, for healthy paths for new families and connections.
I added an eagle feather to represent the strength of community, and how it takes the strength of community, yourself, and I to make things like this possible. I wanted the logo to bring a feeling of safety, love, and acceptance so that people could know family is unconditional, family is safe, and that family has no age limit.
Thank you. Deinaira.