Residential schools memorial sculpture 'encapsulates the spirit of reconciliation'
A memorial sculpture honouring those lost and affected by the residential school system is giving Winnipeggers a new gathering place for truth and reconciliation.
The Every Child Matters memorial art project was unveiled Friday at Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, 445 King Street. Supporting event coordinator Katie McKenzie said it was a morning full of meaningful experiences.
"(We had) some speakers sharing some teachings about courage - which was our theme today - because we feel that it really takes a lot of courage for youth to take these next steps toward reconciliation," said McKenzie. "We want them to know that they're a part of this too and that they can have a space and a voice."
The memorial sculpture was carved out of Manitoba marble by artist Irvin Head Sr., who passed away in August. His son Irvin Head Jr. says the unveiling was bittersweet.
"My father spent his last couple months of his life making sure that it was to his own rigorous standards and that it was his last project," said Head Jr.
He says the sculpture encapsulates the spirit of reconciliation in the only way that his father could do it - through stone, "it shows off a whole bunch of his trademark aphorisms and different ways he made it his own," said Head Jr.
The sculpture uses different textures of marble to convey a message about residential schools. "(The) roughness of the stone symbolizes the quagmire of colonization, the way our people were taken away from their ancestral lands, taught things that weren’t natural to them," he said.
Head Jr. points out little footsteps that lead up from the rough part of the sculpture into the polished part, "Rising up from the bottom of the sculpture are footprints of a new generation that have been polished. They're trying to become clean from the effects of colonization," he said.
The capstone of the sculpture is a turtle to symbolize Turtle Island. Head Jr. said it includes a smudge bowl that anyone can use, "The community can come by, gather around it, use it as a part of their ceremony," he said.
Head Jr. is reminded of his father every time he looks at the sculpture.
"He would always say he puts a little bit of himself in his artwork, and I can totally feel that now," he said. "The wisdom of the turtle, it makes me feel like I'm looking at him straight in the face."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.