MOOSE JAW — The City of Moose Jaw’s ceremonial coat of arms and crest is nearly 60 years old, but city hall wants to update the symbols to correct the Cree translation of the city’s name.
City council adopted the coat of arms, crest and city colours on March 28, 1966, with Mr. A.L.C. Atkinson of Sidney, British Columbia designing the symbols, a council report explained. A green scroll at the top reads “City of Moose Jaw,” while a similar scroll at the bottom reads “Moosochapiskun.”
However, in September 2023, when council adopted a new land acknowledgement to be made before all city-hosted meetings and events, a report indicated that the Cree wording was inaccurate. Administration said it found a letter written in 2003 to Mayor Al Schwinghamer from Arok Wolvengrey, then-assistant professor at First Nations University of Canada, who said Moosochapiskun was an “English attempt to represent a Cree word.”
“(The) literal Cree meaning ‘moosejaw’ is not necessarily what I believe to be the actual source of the name Moose Jaw, but merely a back translation of ‘moose jaw’ into Cree … ,” Wolvengrey wrote. “Thus, the form mōsotāpiskan … should be preferred.”
Council adopted the land acknowledgement that used the term “mōsotāpiskan,” while last year, city hall created a First Nation-themed logo using that spelling, the report said. Meanwhile, since 2023, the city has moved away from using the coat of arms and crest and has used a logo and colours adopted in 2020.
Since the municipality is no longer using the ceremonial symbols, city administration asked council during its May 26 executive council meeting to let it apply to the Canadian Heraldic Authority for permission to update the coat of arms and crest.
The new symbols would require changing bylaws 2256 and 1800, while the design cost would be less than $5,000 and covered by the cultural action plan.
Craig Hemingway, director of strategic growth, explained that a coat of arms is a comprehensive emblem that includes a shield, crest, supporters and motto, while a crest is a smaller emblem on top of the shield and helmet. The crest is a separate element within the overall symbol and represents an identifying device, such as a figure or animal.
Moose Jaw’s coat of arms shows a Cree person pointing to his left and indicating something to Capt. John Palliser, who arrived at the site of the future city on Sept. 16, 1857, and found an Aboriginal encampment, according to Bylaw No. 1800. The people called the creek “Moosichappiskanisippi” — pronounced Moosa-chapa-skana-sip-pe — meaning in its English translation, “Moose Jaw Creek.”
A coat of arms and crest are not mandatory for a municipality to have, but they can be used for official documents and proclamations, municipal flags and banners or mayoral chains of office and ceremonial regalia, said Hemingway.
If the Canadian Heraldic Authority allows the changes, the department of strategic growth would consult with its cultural action plan committee, heritage advisory committee and indigenous stakeholders through the design process, he continued. Administration would also determine how to use the new coat of arms and crest internally and externally.
Hemingway emphasized that the city’s crest is not the same as the logo, since the former is a long-term symbol for more formal matters while the latter — currently featuring a moose with black, white and beige/ochre colours — changes over the years.
“The city logo represents the current branding of the day everywhere it’s used … ,” he added. “So … we have to develop a strategy of where we want to use the crest for city business.”
Council then voted unanimously to approve the motion.
The next executive council meeting is Monday, June 9.
