University students folding 1,000 origami ravens as part of 'wish' for reconciliation

Staff and students at the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George are folding 1,000 origami ravens to support their "wish" for reconciliation.

Led by the university's First Nations Centre, the project is based on the Japanese legend that anyone who folds 1,000 paper cranes within one year will be granted their most desired wish.

"Our wish is for reconciliation," said Beverly Best, the manager of Aboriginal Student Engagement at UNBC.

Best said her team decided to adapt the paper crane project to include a raven because of that bird's importance in West Coast Indigenous culture.

"The raven represents a trickster in many of the legends," she said. "In [the] creation story, he stole the sun to bring light to a dark world, and that's the way we see this with truth and reconciliation: it is the raven helping us bring light to a dark situation."

The folding sessions are more than an art project. Each event begins with Best speaking about the history of Indigenous people in Canada, including residential schools and the 94 Calls to Action laid out by Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 

Then, staff and volunteers with the First Nations Centre help spark conversations as participants attempt to create their own origami raven.

Best said the difficulty of folding the paper ravens mirrors the difficult conversation Canadians need to have about the country's relationship with Indigenous people.

"About halfway through [the folding] everybody starts groaning and making comments about how hard it is," she said. "But that's also why we chose to do this: because reconciliation itself is difficult, and we want you to be thinking about that when you make your raven. No matter how difficult it is, don't give up."

Listen to students attempt to fold a raven and speak about reconciliation using the audio button below.

Subscribe to Daybreak North on CBC Listen or your favourite podcast app, and connect with CBC Northern British Columbia on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.