The Unity Button

When I worked at TIFF this year in festival venue operations, I met many great new friends including Davor, who gave me a unity button. I love it. The Native Canadian Centre of Toronto describes the button as “a celebration of our identity as Aboriginal people and the diversity of our many nations. The most important part of each button is the centre, because this is where the spirits of the four colours meet.” In the tradition of Indigenous storytelling, elders teach about equality and respect for people of all four colours.

When you are wearing this button, people often ask you what it means, and that is the point. It is meant to get us talking to each other and to share our pride and respect for not only our own culture, but for all the cultures in this world.