Sabres unveil logo for Native American Heritage Night, designed by legendary Seneca artist G. Peter Jemison

G. Peter Jemison’s art education began on the grounds of Buffalo State University and brought him to Siena, Italy, where he spent a semester abroad crafting sculptures, painting frescos and breathing in the architecture of a medieval city.

Yet for all his travels, Jemison – a member of the Heron Clan of the Seneca Nation, born and raised on Cattaraugus Territory – found one aspect of his education lacking.

“I never saw a single image of Native American art,” Jemison said. “I had to educate myself on the original art of this country, and I'm still in that process of introducing the general public to the original art of this country.”

Jemison had that mission in mind as he crafted his take on the Buffalo Sabres logo, which has been unveiled as the first of three “Community Artist Series” designs in partnership with the Buffalo AKG Art Museum.

The Community Artist Series will commission three renowned artists to create unique designs in conjunction with community-based theme nights during the 2025-26 season.

Jemison’s design will be showcased on a set of practice jerseys at KeyBank Center when the Sabres play the Oilers on Native American Heritage Night presented by Seneca Resorts and Casinos on Monday, Nov. 17.

The practice jerseys are available for auction through Sunday, Nov. 23 at 9 p.m. with proceeds benefiting Western Door Hockey at the Cattaraugus Community Center. Merchandise featuring Jemison’s logo will also be available on the night of the game.

• Bid on Native American Heritage Night jerseys here

Jemison, now five decades into a legendary career, has had his work collected by museums throughout the country, including the Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. Later this month, he will travel to Paris to showcase his work at The Musée du Quai Branly.

Aaron Ott, the AKG’s curator of public art, said the partnership with Jemison sets a high bar for future collaborations between the Sabres and the AKG.

“Bringing in somebody who is so deeply respected in the Seneca community and the Indigenous community like Peter Jemison to be the first collaboration between these institutions shows that these organizations can bring together the very best that our region has to offer,” Ott said.

Jemison’s design features a tumpline draped over the Sabres crest. Jemison describes the tumpline – a strap used to carry heavy loads – as an advanced art form stemming from Seneca culture.

A functional item by nature, tumplines were given artistic quality through a painstaking, meticulous weaving process that utilized dyed moose hair to form a colored pattern on the item’s exterior. Jemison described the process as weaving with dental floss, but without the aid of modern lightning.

“The tumpline signifies a high degree of artistic ability and imagination that has been carried out with materials that are not common materials,” Jemison said. “I just see it as a very highly evolved art form.”

The tumpline on Jemison’s design includes the black, red, gray, and white from the Sabres’ alternate logo. The pattern is intentionally asymmetrical.

“In the history of art, it's as though the idea of abstraction came from Europe,” Jemison. “But in fact, abstract design was here, is a native design from the very beginning. I want to stress that – that our people have always worked with both geometry and natural forms in the art that we've created.”

Once confined mostly to private collections, multiple centuries-old tumplines are now on display at the Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan State Historic Site, for which Jemison worked as historic site manager. Find out more about Ganondagan here.