Amidst the indigenous art in the Multiversity Gallery within the Museum of Anthropology, is Dionne Paul’s Her First Day of School and His First Day of School, a contemporary photographic piece that serves as a symbol for the injustice that took place in Indian residential schools across Canada. The photographs are those of Paul’s children at the age of four on their first day of school, smiling and dressed immaculately in their uniforms. These photographs, however, have an old black and white overlay of the uniforms that were worn by students of residential schools which draws attention to the artist’s message modern-day schooling experiences are very different from those of Indian residential schools. Paul’s artistic statement which accompanies these artworks elaborates on the mistreatment of indigenous children, stating that these schools lacked strong curriculums, medical provision, and good quality food which is in contrast to the attention to detail put towards schooling across Canada now (Paul 2013).
Having been raised in India, there was little to no focus on indigenous studies in our curriculums since the courses mainly focused on Indian and Western narratives which lead to my oblivion towards the transgressions against indigenous communities and specifically, the treatment of indigenous children in these residential schools. The artist, however, explicitly mentions historical details in her statement which provides sufficient understanding of the trauma faced by indigenous communities for those with limited background information like myself, and this further helps evoke feelings of empathy.
Her First Day of School and His First Day of School serve as an important reminder that these brutalities did not occur far in the past, but in reality, as recently as 1975, which is why it is critical for contemporary artists to bring to light their indigenous identity and history in Western settings, such as the University of British Columbia’s Museum of Anthropology. This resonates closely with Robert Houle’s definition of an “artist-warrior,” since Paul’s work deviates from preconceived notions that authentic indigenous art is meant to look ‘traditional’ by using a contemporary style photograph print which somewhat appropriates Western art. By juxtaposing ‘Western’ uniforms with ‘Indian’ uniforms and modern schooling experiences with Indian residential school experiences in this ‘hostile territory’, she is not only able to challenge the notion that these wrongdoings against indigenous communities were not in the distant past and still do persist, but she also could construct a new indigenous identity by alluding to the past in contemporary forms (Kramer 173).
References:
Paul, Dionne. Her First Day of School. 2013, Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, BC.
Paul, Dionne. Her First Day of School. 2013, Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, BC.
Kramer, Jennnifer. “Figurative Repatriation: First Nations ‘Artist-Warrior’s Recover, Reclaim, and Return Cultural Property through Self-Definition.” Journal of Material Culture, 2014, pp. 161-182.