Reconciliation Project of 2021
Reconciliation, by definition, means “the restoration of friendly relations.” That is exactly what Amanda Tanner, local fibre artist and volunteer, feels as well.
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There are many references from Baha'i prayers that I call on, for unity, unity of hearts. I saw the stylized heart shape as a symbol, and a heart within a heart to represent all of humanity being united with each other. We are all united as human beings, our lives like weavings: interlacing and connecting. Each life is like a warp, and the pathways we follow are like the wefts: threads we choose, colour, texture and pattern.
I wove this grass basket of hope for the children. I harvested the grass from George Lane Memorial Park. It contains the possibilities for the future.
Sylvia made these feathers with the names of her Cree grandparents and relatives. She made the braid and macrame pieces for this visual honouring.
The center represents the children from different bands. White is the snow they ran and walked through to get home. Orange corners are the families waiting for them. Blue border is the endless sky that represents hope.
The Treaty Seven pennants were created to show respect for all the Indigenous people that live and have lived on the lands encompassed by Treaty Seven. Turquoise was chosen as it is the complement to orange and the embroidered motifs chosen are readily recognized by most people as representative of aspects of Indigenous culture.
by Robyn Tanner, Clara Sunwalk - White Weasel Woman, Ruby Sunwalk - Long Time River, Muriel Blackkettle - Pipe Woman, Summer Desabrais, Jason Sunwalk - Eagle Feather, Amurah Bird - Different Bird Woman Paintings by children that acknowledge and honour Treaty 7 land, the children of residential schools and Blackfoot culture.
Participants in the Reconciliation Sharing Circle in George Lane Memorial Park throughout the Summer of 2021. The yarns were collected and donated and the grass came from the park. Clara Sunwalk - White Weasle Woman, Ruby Sunwalk - Long Time River, Muriel Blackkettle - Pipe Woman, Jason Sunwalk - Eagle Feather, Sara Mayne, Joanne Harris, Marvey Gallagher, Elaine Schow, Amanda Tanner, (Reconciliation Sharing Circle)
This art piece is dedicated to all Residential School Survivors across Turtle Island (North America), who have endured pain and suffering while attending these schools (not schools, more like prisons). The doves represent the children being free, to return and be embraced by the love of Creator/Great Spirit. Now is time to share the TRUTH of Canada's history and honour the indigenous peoples who are healing, we are healing...together.
Many years ago I learned to make moccasins and mukluks from a Cree woman in Saskatchewan.
"The Fleeting Wolf" was created from discarded items that otherwise would have been thrown away. It is meant to reflect loss of life not only from our ecosystems but personal and communal loss. The wolf reminds us of the importance of family and is a symbol of both strength and healing.
This sunflower block was made to inspire hope within communities. May we be like the sunflower and turn towards all that is good.
The story of one is the story of all. I believe in communities connecting, sharing and unifying as one people of the earth. The truth of the residential schools has touched my heart as it has touched many others. Crow children enjoying a peaceful moment is a calming picture. Kids being kids is simply a delight.
My paintings depict spirits of the ancestors watching over young ones playing, sharing and learning as a reminder that we, the adults of the world, are responsible to care for the children – all of the children on this earth. Every child has the right to security, safety and belonging to grow into healthy, whole human beings. Bison kids frolicking with friends is a pleasure to see.
Remembrance - Create a symbolic wreath-like weaving for the top of the pieces. Healing - Weave small lengths of leaf coloured overshot pattern, drawn in at color changes to represent leaves. The leaves of the Medicine Tree that once grew outside of town. Community - Loose threads are tied together but left floating, as we listen to and learn from each other’s stories we grow together as a community. Materials - acrylic punch needle yarn woven on a 4 Harness loom
Knitted slippers made to represent the children taken from their homes to attend residential schools. Made by a mother and daughter, this project also represents the bonds of love and learning that were broken and continue to be challenged by intergenerational trauma.
The five eagle feathers crocheted from handspun wool yarn represent the five beautiful Indigenous youth and children who participated in the making and installation of this art project. Their strength, joy and dignity touched the hearts of all who participated in this project.
The slippers of a child who attended Residential School
Our lives are all intertwined, just as are the threads in Unity Weaving
Shirley found the base vest of this garment at a thrift shop. She was attracted to the beauty of the macrame technique it was created by. She gave it to me and asked if I could include it somehow in the installation. I knew right away it would represent the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People. I used a combination of yarns and fabric strips to transform the macrame vest. My friend Sylvia Jenkins made me the fabric embroidered feather to hang on it.
Shirley found the base vest of this garment at a thrift shop. She was attracted to the beauty of the macrame technique it was created by. She gave it to me and asked if I could include it somehow in the installation. I knew right away it would represent the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People. I used a combination of yarns and fabric strips to transform the macrame vest. My friend Sylvia Jenkins made me the fabric embroidered feather to hang on it.
Unlike the traditional sashes, which were finger woven, I wove the two sashes on a loom using a twill structure. The traditional colours were used for the warp, with the addition of orange, the colour signifying children of residential schools, for either selvedge and for the weft. The sashes are dedicated to my friend, Frances, who like the sashes on the posts, wraps her arms around everyone and holds them tight.
We are the leaves, each independently beautiful, but when we come together as a community, we are nourished to become much greater than we truly are. I was inspired by this collaborative community project of reconciliation. My involvement with the High River Handicrafts Guild, my knitting fibre community and friends of my High River home truly enrich my life. This was an opportunity for me to contribute in a meaningful way to help build a collective hope for the future.
Each mark was made for each child. I wanted this piece to be happy, full of bright colours. I wanted it to be painted like a child might paint. The forest of trees is a safe place as Mother Nature always is. It is a symbol for all the little ones dancing, in love with life. Healing can be messy. Love always guides us through.