Young people recognized for art aimed at reconciliation
Imagine a Canada project called for poetry, songs, essays, artwork
Thirteen young people from across Canada were honoured at Rideau Hall Tuesday for artwork they created to encourage reconciliation and honour residential school survivors.
The initiative, called Imagine a Canada, asked students from kindergarten through the post-secondary level to submit poetry, essays, songs, paintings and other artwork that represents their vision of Canada's future in the spirit of reconciliation.
The final selections representing each province and territory were unveiled in a ceremony including residential school survivors, the Governor General, lieutenant-governors, Indigenous leaders and youth, and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, which organized the project.
Emilio Wawatie and Joshua Salt from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation were selected to represent Quebec with their song "We Stand Together," a call to action with lyrics in Algonquin, Cree and English.
"We're on Algonquin territory, and they want to have an Indigenous representation, so I went out of my way to try and make it happen," said Wawatie, 25, who'll be attending Concordia University for music in the fall.
'Dark and sometimes horrible truths'
Wawatie's grandfather was forced to attend residential school, so he wrote the song to honour him and other survivors. He called the honour "some next-level stuff" that's left him proud and humbled.
"I'm going around speaking the truth and the history of my family and my people, because in order to actually have reconciliation, we have to acknowledge the dark and sometimes horrible truths," he said.
Other selected submissions from the 13 Indigenous and non-Indigenous students honoured Tuesday include paintings, poems, sculpture and more songs.
Hannah Morningstar, 15, from Atikameksheng First Nation in northern Ontario submitted a traditional Anishinaabe ash basket that she learned how to make from her grandfather.
"The two red stripes symbolize how we — as Canadians and Indigenous people — should live in Canada: side by side, honouring each other's ways and respecting each other's differences," said Morningstar, after she was introduced by Ontario Lt.-Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell.
"This is the way it should be forever in our country. In this new time of reconciliation, this is my hope," she added.
Art 'particularly effective'
"It seems arts are particularly effective at communicating this vision for the country," said Ry Moran, director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
"Because I think in many ways, this is a conversation that needs to be led by the heart first, and art is particularly effective in having that conversation."
"We're on the right path. We've still got a long ways to go. And I think what everybody believes is that education is going to be one of the first and foremost parts of this whole reconciliation effort," he said.
"And these young people that we had here today really demonstrate that they are learning. They are understanding now. The voices of survivors are penetrating society, and they want change."