Ottawa club making name change to honour club and region history

March 14, 2018

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With files from Ottawa Ospreys Communications

The Ottawa Indians have elected to make a name change for the 2018 season.

Established in 1962, the Ottawa Indians Rugby Football Club (OIRFC) was named after the Ottawa Indians Tribe. While the tribe origins can be traced to the Ottawa River region, many forced migrations eventually led the descendants to Miami, Oklahoma.

Throughout the years, the OIRFC has maintained a positive relationship with the Ottawa Tribe members. They were honoured and remain supportive of the club name. However, the OIRFC Executive (Board of Directors) and the club membership recognized it was time to eliminate words which disparage and disrespect the Indigenous Peoples.

In an effort to honour the club’s history yet be more inclusive for the years ahead, the Executive reviewed many suggested team names. One idea stood out – the Ottawa Ospreys. Just as the Ottawa Indians Tribe lived along the Ottawa River and its tributaries so many years ago, so do the mighty osprey today. The name seemed a natural fit.

Therefore, effective March 9, 2018, the Ottawa Indians Rugby Football Club will begin operating as the Ottawa Ospreys Rugby Football Club.

The osprey is well-known to the North American region. Anatomically, it resembles the eagle, but its narrow wings, when outspread, are markedly angled, and the structure of its feet and claws is so peculiar that it has been placed in a separate subfamily, the Pandioninae, of which it is the sole representative. (via Hinterland Who's Who)

The connection between the club's previous name and their new 'Ospreys' name is evident. Ospreys are known to be superb hunters, just like the Ottawa Ka-e-nou-che band, which the original name honoured. Ospreys were a prideful clan animal for many first nations bands. There are Algonquin, Micmac and Huron legends about the osprey (also known as the fish hawk).

For more information on the club's name change, please go to https://ottawarugby.com.

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