Aboriginal artists will have a new chance to showcase and protect their work in a new licencing deal with the Olympics.
Hand-carved Inukshuks from across Nunavut will be featured as part of the 2010 Olympics Games product line in an agreement that is being hailed as an investment in aboriginal art.
"We have often not gained much benefit out of symbolic things that have been produced, so this is a great opportunity at the same time to teach the world and benefit from teaching the world who we are," said Nunavut Premier Paul Okalik.
There's money to be made in authentic aboriginal products and there are hundreds of carvers that can benefit, said Dennis Kim of the Vancouver Organizing Committee.
"There's 1,200 carvers that will be part of this program that we'll be able to demonstrate on the global stage," he said.
The agreement is also being hailed as an investment in aboriginal youth, as one-third of VANOC's royalties from sales are going into a trust fund.
"We need to give them hope and if we have the programs that can support them in terms of culture, in terms of language, in terms of sport, then I think those are things that we can set up our young people for a bright future," said Tewanee Joseph of Four Host First Nations.
It's not clear how much revenue the program will generate. But the carvings will range from $65 to $200 and will go on sale in June.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Mike Killeen
