In 1964, at a special ceremony, federal Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Mr. G. Rancier presented NAITSA’s president with an ookpik and the “Ook” became NAIT’s official mascot. This Ookpik was created by Jeannie Snowball, an Inuk elder from Northern Quebec and was made of sealskin. This original Ookpik was a beloved mascot and resided with athletics in the 60s. It was actually a game for NAIT and SAIT to steal each other’s mascots. The Ookpik did get to SAIT a few times during these years and was even forced to wear a Calgary Stampede hat!

