I was intrigued to see all the indigenous and captivating artwork they had on display on a class trip we took to the Multiversity Gallery, in the Museum of Anthropology. Out of all the multiple pieces of art, one exhibit specifically caught my eye. It was the work of Dionne Paul, hung in a beautiful glass display, titled Her First Day of School (2013) and His First Day of School (2013). This artwork shows two children, a boy, and a girl, with a picture of residential school uniforms cropped over their bodies. These two are powerful images which juxtapose the cruelty faced by the Indian residential school as compared to the modern day schools. The first day of school is supposed to bring joy and optimism for the future to both the children and the parents, however, not even over one generation ago, this was not the case. The true reality for the indigenous families living in Canada was that they were legally forced to send their children away for an entire school year to an unsafe environment, with short holidays, substandard food, no access to medical attention etc. Through these two pictures, Paul wants to depict the heartbreaking situations that occurred within the 139 residential schools across Canada.
Close to this was another artwork, a piece by Hopokeltun (Shane Pointe) titled To Wash Away the Tears. This artwork depicts a situation in the contrast of the first, it shows the joyous and cheerful bond of family and traditions. It talks about a canoe, through which over 3,000 of the family members are connected. Also, memorial ceremonies, which are a way to show respect for family and tradition for the pointe family, the Musqueam people and the other First Nations.
Both of these artworks paint a similar, yet, a contrasting situation of the indigenous families in Canada. I am not from Canada, and have not personally experienced the Canadian schooling system, hence, I can not personally relate. However, Kramer explains ‘Figurative repatriation’ to ‘require a non-native audience so that messages of native control and ownership can be heard, seen and witnessed by non-native people.’ Being an Indian citizen currently studying in Canada, I can only imagine the hardships and atrocities that the indigenous families were put through when forcefully having to send their children to worse-off conditions.