The place of meeting shall be known as the Sault Ste. Marie Indigenous Friendship Center advances; the CEO says a logo redesign is also in the works
A popular Indigenous meeting place in Sault has quietly changed its name in an effort to be more inclusive and better reflect the population it serves.
Last November, Sault Ste. Marie Indian Friendship Center (SSMIFC) voted to drop “Indian” from its name and will be known as the Sault Ste. The Maree Indigenous Friendship Center is moving forward — marking the first time the Indigenous Friendship Center has changed its name since its inception in 1972.
“With the ever-growing population of East Indian people coming to our city and settling here, we had to make a difference because we were getting calls,” SSMIFC Executive Director Cathy Siret said during a phone interview with SooToday on Wednesday. “I just felt it was time to push that name change envelope.”
Syrette says the name change is also in line with moves to remove decidedly older terms like “Indian” and “Aboriginal” and replace them with “Indigenous” as the umbrella term for Canada’s tribal nations.
The Ontario Center for Indigenous Friendship, for example, chose to drop “Indian” from its name in 2014. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also released a statement in June 2017 pledging to scrap National Aboriginal Day in favor of National Day of the indigenous population.
“The word ‘indigenous’ encompasses more of inclusion — namely, it encompasses our First Nation people, our status people, our non-status people, our Métis and our Inuit,” Siret said.
The Friendship Center was almost renamed the Bawating Indigenous Friendship Center in what was a very close vote by its members late last year.
“It was almost split in half, with one or two voices overpowering the rest,” Syrette said, adding that the East Street Friendship Center still retains its acronym SSMIFC despite its name change.
Changing the Friendship Center’s corporate name and accompanying signage will be the next steps in the organization’s rebranding process.
The Sault Ste. The Marie Indigenous Friendship Center also plans to update its logo for the first time in years. Syrette says the organization will post more information about the logo redesign on the SSMIFC website and Facebook page as it becomes available.
“We’re looking for something more modern, if you will, but still capturing the culture,” Syrette said.
The Sault Ste Marie Indigenous Friendship Center will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023.
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