About Our Brand

Brand Story and Icon Elements

Fire Stones

• Feeling of being part of a community, being inclusive, safety, united/unity, cohesive, security.

• Respects the power of fire as essential for life, for survival, for regeneration, for transformation but in a contained and safe way.

• The use of stone represents the importance of this natural material.

The Circle

The circle as a symbol for protection, the circle is strong, threats/dangers are visible from all sides. The outer ring of the turtle is an unbroken circle, it is strong, it is safe, it offers protection to the community within, which is represented by the 4 people forming the turtle’s legs.

Numbers

The 7 firestones represent:

• 7 Program Areas.

• The Seventh Generation Principle—ensuring decisions and relationships are sustainable for seven generations into the future; create positive and enduring relationships with people and with the land.

• The 7 guiding principals (the morals, values, structures, ceremonial practices, and spiritual beliefs that guide and ensure survival) — humility, bravery, honesty, wisdom, truth, respect, love.

The 4 people who make up the second level of the turtle and who form the turtle’s legs represent the seasons, the elements, life stages, directions.

The Turtle

• The turtle represents truth — it is the turtle who carried the teachings of life on its back.

• Turtle is meticulous and understands the importance of both the journey and the destination, this is how the turtle embodies truth, honour, and sincerity in actions.

• Turtle Island— the turtle that holds the world on its back and is an icon of life. It is a symbol of identity, autonomy, and a deep respect for the environment.

• The turtle shell is strong. It protects. It provides safety.

• Like the plates of a turtle shell, which join together to give the shell an amazing strength, the 7 program areas that make up the NIFSC project work together to create a strong foundation for a sustainable, culturally astute, Indigenous-led organization. Each piece of the program model supports the other pieces, and together they form a cohesive whole that is stronger than each individual part.

Community

• The four legs of the turtle create four people connecting in community around the fire stones.

• Coming together and working together as a community has been an integral part of life and survival.

Colour Swatches

The logo is comprised of 9 colours that represent aspects of Indigenous cultures and their lands: