SYMBOLISM OF THE PAPASCHASE
BAND LOGO

As I listen to my Papaschase friends, I hear many stories and themes in common. This is an attempt encapsulate those stories in a logo in a positive way in order to bring blessing. The colours are done in the native way of using the basic colours for symbolization.

The woodpeckers shown are hairy woodpeckers because the species is the large forest woodpecker referred to in the name "Papastayo" Joyce Bruneau has researched and found that the Chiefs name refers to this species rather than the pileated woodpecker, another large forest woodpecker of Alberta.

This is good symbolism because the hairy woodpecker does well in even small pockets of trees on the prairie and parkland habitats, not just in the boreal forest-depicting the mix of peoples in the blood of the Papaschase including Plains and Wood Cree among others. The pleated woodpecker requires extended tracks of old growth forest and so is declining in many places in its range.

The art work is done in the form of a hairy woodpecker egg because the Papaschase have been a hidden people that were though to be stamped out of their enemies. Although set back, they survived through the darkness of 100 years of being hidden inside the tree--and now they're getting ready to immerge! The sun, GODS light, is facing toward the woodpecker, dawning not setting, and is coming out from behind the tree. As surely the sun will rise, the Papaschase will rise. The egg is being cracked open by GODS light [three main cracks on each side for ray's) and the scouts and warriors are breading for the people. The sky is shown as clear blue without any clouds - depicting the strength and wealth of the Papaschase people's hopes and prayers for blessing and wellbeing and by their friends regarding the Papaschase.

The woodpecker's are drawn with much attention to detail to show them anatomically correct, symbolizing truth - depicting the blessing that the Papaschase will embrace truth with their very beings, and also that they will learn, know and present all the truth about themselves, past, current and future. The truth about the Papaschase shall not remain hidden and it will set them free. Lever and fulcrum and dynamic composition are used to show the power of the coming breakthrough.

The male is in the close up position with the chicks not to imply gender issues but simply because of his handsome colours. He does represent the call to leaders to love and care for their people and for others above themselves, as so ably demonstrated by the first recorded leader, Papastayo himself. The male also represents the call to elders and to parents to love and care for their families and for others above themselves, as so ably demonstrated by the Papaschase people, that when they were starving on the reservation, they were the first Edmontonians to take down and out First Nation's people in and care for them.

The female (which is particularly feisty in this woodpecker species and which, unlike other woodpecker females, has a loud call that is often given in flight that rings through the forest) is therefore shown as the warrior breaking through. The male and female face the same direction - depicting the blessing of strong families in unity.

The chicks ( which are coloured essentially the same as the adults in this species, but show a lot of variation in spots and in red, pink, and yellow colouring on the head) are shown facing the male bird - depicting the learning from and honouring of elders which is so important to the Papaschase people, as with all First Nations peoples. There are four chicks (two males and two females) - depicting the fact that during the time of being hidden in the egg, in the darkness of time in the tree, the Papaschase have been fruitful and have multiplied into many. The four chicks also depict the fact that the Papaschase have been scattered into the four directions in Canada. But as the wind blows, it sows, and even as no one knows where it came from, no one knows the good that is to come from this sad loss.

The tree shown is trembling Aspen, the main tree species present on the former lands of the Papaschase from the Lesser Slave to Beaverhill Lakes. It's called a pioneering species because it's very resilient, one of the first to return again and again from the roots after fires or other disturbances - depicting the pioneer work the Papaschase were found to learn through losing their lands repeatedly. Aspen leaves are more responsive to the wind, the spirit, than the leaves of any other species.

The three Aspen leaves around the woodpecker are not shown anatomically correct, but rather are stylized to symbolize the teardrops and suffering of the past which have been turned to strength and blessing, as I have heard so many Papaschase say. The bright green symbolizes that from ashes and dust - from death - God brings life, protection and provision.

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