Native artisan raps VANOC's 'authentic' aboriginal art

A North Vancouverartisan has launched a petition to getOlympic organizersto remove the term "authentic" from some of its aboriginal line of Games merchandise.

A lot of what is being sold with the Olympic logo is anything but authentic, Shain Jackson said.

"Here's a case in point," Jackson said, pointingtoaplastic luggage tagdecorated with an aboriginal salmon design and bearingthe official Olympic trademarks. It's identified as an "aboriginal luggage tag" and on the back, it says itwasdesigned by VANOC the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee and made in China.

Jackson says that is unfair to aboriginal companies such as his firm Spirit Works Ltd.,which creates and sells aboriginal productsfrom a warehouse on Squamish lands.

"Aboriginal producers of authentic aboriginal products those designed, produced and distributed by aboriginal companies employing aboriginal people here in Canada are being hurt by this," Jackson said.

VANOC, which is marketing products ranging from change purses to passport holders and labelling them as authentic aboriginal art,has defended the merchandise.

The committee saysits partners, the four host First Nations,say those items are part of its product line"featuring authentic aboriginal artwork," and that "these products are then produced by our licensees, some with facilities here in Canada, others off-shore."

That's cold comfort for Jackson.

"It's tough out there," Jackson said. "It's very tough out there. And when you take a term like 'authentic aboriginal products' and make it mean what the Olympics has made it mean, you're misleading people."