Neelin students share reconciliation art

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/09/2022 (1164 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As part of Brandon’s Truth and Reconciliation Week, students from École secondaire Neelin High School used visual arts to explore their understanding of decolonization, which they shared Wednesday at the Riverbank Discovery Centre.

Grade 11 and 12 students in Neelin’s visual arts class were invited to create something related to the theme of “decolonizing the spirit.”

“We sought and received teaching from Elder Frank Tacan, who helped guide us in our understanding of this powerful topic, and we found that there are as many ways to approach it as there are individual artists and people,” said Tara Leach, visual arts teacher at Neelin.

Among the students were Illeanna Knott, 17, and Rachel McCausland, 15, who attended the Creating a New Legacy gathering organized by the Aboriginal Mental Health and Wellness Committee.

Knott’s piece featured an Indigenous man with an animal skull on his head, surrounded by barbed wire. It represents not only her own experience as an Indigenous person in Canada and the alienation and loneliness that comes with it, but the way trauma from colonization has affected all Indigenous people in different ways, she said.

“Every Indigenous person carries this within them. Sometimes people show this pain externally, or even, due to outdated stereotypes, we are seen as different, maybe violent, inhuman, or animalistic.”

Knott hopes there is “still room” for healing, for individuals, neighbours and communities. She said seeing the way her peers have approached reconciliation has been “wonderful.”

“They’re open to learning, open to hearing, open to experiencing and to change what’s happened. Even though there are still issues … I just hope to learn and to educate.”

Educating people about her experience was the motivation behind Knott’s presentation, even though it wasn’t easy for her to do, she said.

“I was really nervous. I’ve always struggled with public speaking, but … it was a really good opportunity to finally start using my voice and sharing my voice … with the world.”

McCausland said she learned plenty about the impact of colonization on Indigenous people from Tacan’s teachings. The biggest takeaway for her was the need for all individuals to return to their roots to help heal the damage done by residential schools and other forms of colonization, she said.

Her piece shows a depiction of urban development on previously untouched, “pristine land” in the shape of a heart. Above it, two hands — one of a white person in a suit and one of an Indigenous person in an orange shirt with beadwork — meet in a handshake in front of an outline of Treaty 2 territory.

“I wanted the main idea of my piece to be about how underneath all of the damage and everything done by residential schools, there is still that pristine land. We just need to be able to open up and … go back and help heal not just ourselves but each other,” McCausland said.

For Knott, working with McCausland represented an interesting dichotomy.

“I think it was beautiful that both of us presented today … showing both of our work, our perspectives.”

On one of the inside walls of the tent, Knott and McCausland’s work was put up for people to view, along with work from other Neelin students. A collection of puzzle pieces, each representing the different calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada — also created by Neelin students — was on display as well.

» mleybourne@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @miraleybourne

Funding for The Brandon Sun’s Indigenous beat reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative.