Historian calls Vancouver Canucks logo 'cultural appropriation'

A University of Manitoba history professor is calling on the Canucks to scrap their 23-year-old orca logo, calling it an example of 'cultural appropriation.'

“How can you continue to develop meaningful relations with Coast Salish nations when you continue to profit from branding that is appropriating their art style?” Sean Carleton asked on Twitter.

The move comes after goalie Braden Holtby faced similar accusations last week for his new mask, which featured indigenous iconography on it.

"I wanted to make sure I apologize to anyone I offended," Holtby had said in an interview with CTV News. "It was definitely not my intent and I definitely learned a valuable lesson through this all and will make sure I'm better moving forward and do the things that help this community the most."

Carleton has called the incident one of 'profiting off stolen imagery:'

“People will say, ‘but Sean the imagery is a sign of respect.’ How respectful is continuing to make piles of money from a business you operate on stolen land all the while branding that business with stolen imagery? That’s the logic of colonial capitalism for you.”

Despite his claims, not all indigenous people are up in arms. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, head of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, rejected the ‘cultural appropriation’ accusation, stating he had no problem with the design.