An Indigenous artist from Nipissing First Nation, in northeastern Ontario, is sharing his culture with a global audience, thanks to a partnership with the National Football League (NFL).
The league commissioned Quentin Commanda to decorate a football with art that showcases the culture of the Anishinabek people.
“They gave me complete creative control, which is really rare these days,” Commanda told CBC Radio.
“For this project, they just let me do what I wanted to. And they accepted the first design sketch that I submitted.”
Commanda has made a name for himself painting large murals, and he said it was fun to create a design for a smaller object for a change.
“Very easy, that’s for sure,” he said.
“I wasn’t having to like, you know, deal with the elements outside or working alongside a 10-storey building.”
For his design, Commanda said he wanted to represent the duality between the physical and spiritual worlds. The design features a strawberry, which his culture considers the heart berry.
“Football is considered the heart sport of America,” he said.
The NFL has produced 50 balls with his design, which will be donated to different Indigenous communities.
Commanda said it’s unlikely his ball will be used during Sunday’s Super Bowl game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, but it should be showcased in the lead-up to the big game.
