There are some weeds along the side of the street about a block from my house. They look like white mist and don’t stand out much from the sidewalk and chain link fence, but if you look closely, each plant is a cluster of little white flowers with exquisite geometric patterning.
Once a year the city sends a crew to hack them back in a futile attempt to eradicate them. This piece, “Truth and Reconciliation: Every Child Matters”, has its design inspired by these weeds. I am making the analogy that the indigenous children were considered “wild weeds” to mainstream Canadians. It was felt that their “wildness” needed to be hacked away in order to be replaced by something more cultivated and controlled.
In 2008 The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established by the Canadian government in order to examine and address the legacy of residential schools. They submitted their recommendations in 2015. The work is ongoing.
In the fall of 2021 thousands of unmarked graves containing Native children were beginning to be discovered on residential school lands. This piece, “Truth and Reconciliation: Every Child Matters” was completed on September 30, 2021, as my personal memorial. It integrates West Coast Canadian Native motifs – formline drawing, bare cedar, and traditional colors. However, I did not want to appropriate Native art as my own creation, so I incorporated European knotwork (Celtic and Nordic). After all, my ancestors appropriated Native land. For me to appropriate Native art would just continue the trend. But more than that, I wanted to integrate my Eurocentric background with the Native motifs to symbolize that I am implicated in the attempted genocide of Indigenous people of North America. My Native colleagues have stressed to me that “settler guilt” is not appropriate, nor helpful. I was not the one who stole the land. However, I am a benefactor of the oppression of Native people. It is a place to start. Being guilty and being implicated are two different things. I also integrated the knotwork because I wanted to indicate my solidarity with the Truth and Reconciliation process.
.: Material: 210gsm (9mil) premium paper stock with smooth satin finish
.: Please note: Each poster features a white 0.5cm border with a small barcode
There are some weeds along the side of the street about a block from my house. They look like white mist and don’t stand out much from the sidewalk and chain link fence, but if you look closely, each plant is a cluster of little white flowers with exquisite geometric patterning.
Once a year the city sends a crew to hack them back in a futile attempt to eradicate them. This piece, “Truth and Reconciliation: Every Child Matters”, has its design inspired by these weeds. I am making the analogy that the indigenous children were considered “wild weeds” to mainstream Canadians. It was felt that their “wildness” needed to be hacked away in order to be replaced by something more cultivated and controlled.
In 2008 The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established by the Canadian government in order to examine and address the legacy of residential schools. They submitted their recommendations in 2015. The work is ongoing.
In the fall of 2021 thousands of unmarked graves containing Native children were beginning to be discovered on residential school lands. This piece, “Truth and Reconciliation: Every Child Matters” was completed on September 30, 2021, as my personal memorial. It integrates West Coast Canadian Native motifs – formline drawing, bare cedar, and traditional colors. However, I did not want to appropriate Native art as my own creation, so I incorporated European knotwork (Celtic and Nordic). After all, my ancestors appropriated Native land. For me to appropriate Native art would just continue the trend. But more than that, I wanted to integrate my Eurocentric background with the Native motifs to symbolize that I am implicated in the attempted genocide of Indigenous people of North America. My Native colleagues have stressed to me that “settler guilt” is not appropriate, nor helpful. I was not the one who stole the land. However, I am a benefactor of the oppression of Native people. It is a place to start. Being guilty and being implicated are two different things. I also integrated the knotwork because I wanted to indicate my solidarity with the Truth and Reconciliation process.
.: Material: 210gsm (9mil) premium paper stock with smooth satin finish
.: Please note: Each poster features a white 0.5cm border with a small barcode
