Above is a photo of my Journey to Reconciliation project. This photo introduces a silhouette of a residential school student who was impacted by the European colonization of their culture. The hair is cut off with four words inside the braid on the ground (Language, Traditions, Culture and Lost) these four words resemble things the first nation, aboriginal, Metis and so many more lost. The reason the silhouette is black while the braid on the ground is not is that the child still has their physical identity (female or male, as well as their colour) but the braid on the ground is only outlined because the child still has traces of their language, culture, and traditions, yet to them, it is all been lost by the time they are out of school. The reason for the Canadian flag is in the background is because of the Canadian Government and how they changed the education system helping save the diversity throughout the country. The Canadian Government helped establish a better and healthier education system for aboriginal students by shutting down residential school systems and opening multicultural schools, which are the school systems currently in place.
I decided to do residential schools because I found it interesting to remember how the education system has drastically changed since then, and how much better the system is now for all identities. I decided to take residential schools and connect it to current learning, as well as use my new-found knowledge to help others to understand the impact that residential schools created for aboriginal people’s heritage, and lineage.