Among all the beautiful crafts and exhibits in the Multiversity Gallery in Museum of Anthropology, there are two photographic images of a girl and boy pictured in their school uniforms and titled her first of school and his first day of school by Dionne Paul. The pictures are presented vertically, first comes the image of the girl and below is the boy. The image is a color print except their uniform portion is overlapped with a black and white image of probably the real image of the school uniform back then. The girl dressed up in a coat and gloves while the boy is dressed in a shirt, trousers, tie, gloves and a sweater like waist-coat. We see both the children with happy smiles on their face and your first impression is ‘oh look happy kids’, but the real shock is delivered when the Artist’s statement is read.
In brief, the artist’s note describes how difficult it was for the Indigenous families and kids to be away from each other at an unknown and unsafe surrounding where they were brutally treated because of who they were and how different they were. Dionne also states that these two works are a visual manifestation of the crimes against humanity which was conducted one short generation ago at 139 Indian residential schools in Canada. She also shares personal information of her dad being a day scholar at the Sechelt Indian Residential School, which was closed in 1975.
I believe the Dionne meets Robert Houle’s definition of an “artist-warrior” as she is brave and has the courage to show to share the story of the struggles faced by the indigenous families and allow the piece to be displayed in a western- modern museum which satisfies to what Robert described it as “hostile territory”. I am super grateful for the access given to us (general public) to learn about the horrific past of the indigenous culture.
I, myself being bought up in a different country (Uganda) have never faced this kind of behavior or struggle. I honestly had no idea about any of the Indigenous culture and has been the opportunity to know and understand about it means a lot. Somehow it deeply hurts me to know about all these crimes committed a few years back but I hope we are able to contribute to making a better society
References:
Paul, Dionne. Her First Day of School. 2013, Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, BC.
Paul, Dionne. His 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.