National Indigenous Peoples Day celebration: Watch the CPL documentary ‘From Stone’

2020-06-19

CanPL.ca Staff

June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day. The Canadian Premier League is proud to commemorate this day and celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ diverse and enduring culture, history and achievements.

We are honoured to celebrate the unique origin of the Canadian Premier League Awards created from stone that have evolved into beautiful pieces of Inuit Art in this short documentary. “From Stone” highlights the powerful and important achievements of the Inuit artists who have created these beautiful awards.

On November 26, 2019, the Canadian Premier League unveiled its coveted individual awards that players and a head coach received at the first CPL Awards ceremony in Toronto.

To celebrate the Awards and their artists, the CPL is pleased to debut “From Stone,” a short documentary featuring a powerful, in-depth narrative of the origin of the CPL Awards, created from slabs of stone that have evolved into beautiful pieces of Inuit Art, directed and shot by Adrijan Assoufi.

Our story takes you on an epic journey to Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Nunavut, deep within Canada’s most northern region, sharing stunning visuals and powerful storytelling around the carvers who created these unique Canadian Premier League Awards along with the story behind each piece.

“We wanted the Awards to be truly Canadian, truly unique and celebrate our Indigenous Peoples’ creativity” Canadian Premier League Commissioner David Clanachan said. “We are proud of these awards, what they represent and are thrilled to have worked with these talented artists from Kinngait.”

The awards offer a tangible look at Inuit symbolism for Canadian soccer fans – pieces of Canadian art that are now part of their experiences as Supporters and an imprint on Canadian football from the Inuit communities.

Canadian Premier League awards: Player of the Year (Nikisuittuq, top left), Golden Glove (Qimmiq or Canadian Inuit Dog, top centre), Under 21 Canadian of the Year (Polar Bear, top right), Coach of the Year (Owl, bottom left), and Golden Boot (Hunter, bottom right). — Canadian Premier League awards: Player of the Year – Nikisuittuq (far left), Golden Glove – Qimmiq or Canadian Inuit Dog (second from left), Under 21 Canadian of the Year – Polar Bear (middle), Coach of the Year – Owl (second from right), and Golden Boot – Hunter (far right).