Indigenous Partnerships

At Peter Friend Corp., we proudly support First Nations communities through collaboration, quality signage, and cultural representation. We go beyond business by honoring Indigenous heritage, promoting economic growth, and enhancing community safety.

Our Commitment to First Nations

We build strong relationships with Indigenous businesses, artists, and contractors. Our goals:

  • Create signage that honors cultural identity
  • Improve community safety and access
  • Support economic opportunities for Indigenous partners

How We Work with First Nations

We provide thoughtful, practical, and culturally aware signage solutions.

  1. Partnerships – We team up with Indigenous-owned businesses and contractors to create signage that reflects their values and goals.
  2. Indigenous Art & Signage – We work with local artists to create custom signs that showcase traditional and modern Indigenous art.
  3. Safety & Road Signs – We supply high-visibility road signs, wayfinding, and safety signage designed for First Nations lands.
  4. Emergency Signage – We develop clear, effective signs for evacuation routes and emergency preparedness.

Working with Indigenous Artists & Contractors

We are honored to collaborate with Indigenous creators and professionals on our projects.

 

Featured Work:

Musqueam and Okanagan Nation Alliance Flags

Each campus of UBC sits on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of its host nation: Musqueam in Vancouver, and the Syilx Okanagan Nation in the Okanagan.

On Sept. 27, 2018, the Okanagan campus raised the Okanagan Nation Alliance flag for the first time on its permanent pole in the courtyard. And in Vancouver, the Musqueam flag was raised on its permanent pole on February 25, 2019.

The flags formally signify UBC’s recognition of Indigenous peoples in whose lands the university resides, and add to a growing visible Indigenous presence on both campuses that includes bilingual signs providing alternate street names in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and nsyilxcn Indigenous languages.

Each campus has marked National Indigenous Peoples Day by temporarily raising the flag of its host First Nation in place of the university’s flag.

 

Eagle Mask by Lyle Wilson – located in the Law Library, 3rd Floor

This mask was donated by Mr. Peter A. Allard, QC on January 22, 2015, the same day the Faculty was renamed the Peter A. Allard School Law in recognition of Mr. Allard’s transformational $30 million gift.

The Eagle Mask, carved by artist Lyle Wilson in 1989, represents the ancestral crest of the Eagle Clan of the Haisla people in Kitamaat, BC.  Inspired by eagles and the Haisla people’s admiration and adoption of many traits of the bird, Wilson says he was influenced by Haisla art in his formative years. The Eagle Mask represents the universal characteristics of pride, beauty and ferociousness.  The feathers are carved from yellow cedar in the artist’s effort to preserve real eagle feathers.

Lyle Wilson was always conscious and appreciative of Haisla art, but did not pursue art as a possible profession until he attended UBC.  At that time he committed to a career in art, leading to further education at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design.  For many years, he was the Artist in Residence at the UBC Museum of Anthropology.  Eagle Mask was acquired from the Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, Ltd.

 

Interested in Partnering With Us?

Are you an Indigenous business, contractor, or artist?

We’d love to hear from you!