VANOC Dubs Products Made in China as 'Authentic Aboriginal Products'

Native artisan Shain Jackson, owner and operator of Spirit Works Limited, has taken an issue with VANOC’s decision to package and brand products as "Authentic Aboriginal Products" even though they were made overseas. Jackson says that VANOC is rerouting the largest source of income to the Native Canadian population in to their own pocket by ripping off designs and having products mass produced in China. The Vancouver Olympic Committee has come under a lot of fire recently but the public has really reacted to this story as it hits on a personal level. A petition has been started by Jackson in hopes of forcing VANOC to discontinue the use of the word "Authentic" on their products.

Spirit Works Limited is a 100% Aboriginal owned and operated British Columbia company that creates and distributes real Authentic Aboriginal Products. As the companies owner, Shain Jackson feels that VANOC has taken money directly out of his pocket. How can a small shop that produces such skillfully handcrafted products compete with the mass production of the same products in China? While many in British Columbia are familiar with the beauty of handcrafted west coast native art and will easily be able to spot the difference many of the visitors to the Olympic Games will have no idea and could easily be fooled by the tag stating that it is an "Authentic Aboriginal Product".

VANOC has developed everything from pins, t-shirts, hats, and even passport holders - slapped an aboriginal design on them, had them mass produced in China and sold them off as if they were designed and developed by our local Native bands. This has upset a large number of people both within the local Aboriginal community and around the world. A petition has been started in hopes of getting enough public appeal to force VANOC to stop this practice. The petition states:

"We the undersigned call on the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic Games (VANOC) to stop using the term "Authentic Aboriginal Products" to mean their licensed products, with Aboriginal graphics placed on them, that are produced by non-Aboriginal companies, and originate from outside of Canada.

Furthermore, we the undersigned call on VANOC to honour its commitments to local Aboriginal businesses and immediately end the exclusion from its licensing scheme, Aboriginal products that are truly Authentic, made by people from First Nations communities in Canada."