The following art piece and excerpt is from an academic paper I wrote in my ECS 101 class. They illustrate my progress in reconciliation thus far and explain my current understanding of reconciliation. I hope to further grow my knowledge of reconciliation over my post-secondary experience and use this as a base to reflect on.

“My aesthetic representation is ultimately meant to take the rippling and butterfly terminology of intergenerational trauma and recenter them in a positive light, demonstrating and acknowledging the new rippling and butterfly effects reconciliation can cause, and how it can impact future generations. In the center of my piece, I drew a butterfly. In Indigenous culture, butterflies often represent transformation, regeneration, and rebirth. I then split the wings into four sections and coloured each area a different colour of the medicine wheel (red, black, yellow, and white). The medicine wheel is a symbol in many Indigenous cultures, representing several elements, such as the four directions or the cycles of life. Additionally, it is often portrayed as a symbol of hope and healing. To me, my butterfly represents my hope for a more equitable future through reconciliation with Indigenous people, a positive change in mindset (moving away from discrimination and oppression), and acknowledging the Indigenous culture to its full complexity. In the background, I drew circles representing rippling water. This symbolizes the positive rippling effects reconciliation and transformation can have if we put in enough effort to recognize Canada’s horrific past and present, acknowledging that we must fully honour and respect the true stewards of the land. Additionally, water represents the sustainment and source of all life. As Autumn Peltier said, “[w]ater can live without us, but we can’t live without water.” In my piece, I see the water as symbolizing Indigenous culture and the imperative healing we must commence. We cannot continue life without properly acknowledging Indigenous people and would not be where we are today without their help throughout history. Finally, I wrote some words in the ripples to suggest ways in which we can begin our reconciliation journey and continue it. I utilized the seven grandfather teachings as well as some other suggestions like music. My artwork also connects to my teaching beliefs. As a future educator, I plan to implement reconciliation in my classrooms so that I may hopefully create a positive and impactful butterfly effect on my students.” -Hayleigh Prentice, 2022, Journey Towards Reconciliation