WAG-Qaumajuq and NCTR to host National Day for Truth and Reconciliation learning events

This national day of remembrance honours the children who attended Indian Residential Schools, many of whom never came home

Winnipeg, Manitoba, September 28, 2022: In partnership with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR), the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)-Qaumajuq welcomes the community to honour the second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation through learning events that centre the experiences and history of Indigenous children forced to attend Indian Residential Schools.

The day will feature special screenings of NCTR productions, including the one-hour live NCTR national broadcast, Remembering the Children from LeBreton Flats in Ottawa, followed by the official book launch of Lessons in Legitimacy: Colonialism, Capitalism, and the Rise of State Schooling in British Columbia by Dr. Sean Carleton. Dr. Carleton will deliver an author’s talk at the book launch, which will be followed by two panel discussions. Language Revitalization, Intergenerational Learning and Reconciliation will be an in-depth discussion between Pat Nadeau, Maeengan Linklater, and Aandeg Muldrew, three generations of Knowledge Keepers. The following panel, How to Be a Good Ally, features Dr. Erin Millions and Dr. Sean Carleton, two settler scholars, and Knowledge Keeper Albert McLeod in conversation around settler allyship with Indigenous people. The panels will be followed by an exhibition tour of INUA and Kakiniit Hivonighijotaa: Inuit Embodied Practices and Meanings led by Associate Curator of Inuit Art Jocelyn Piirainen. The evening will conclude with a special screening of Bimibatoo-win: Where I Ran. Directed by Erica Daniels, the film follows residential school survivor Charlie Bittern, who was forced to run 80 km through a blizzard by a residential school principal, and his return to the same journey 55 years later – this time, surrounded by his family. 

Throughout the day, visitors to the Gallery will have access to family-friendly art activities.  

All proceeds from admission to WAG-Qaumajuq on September 30 will be donated to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Self-identifying Indigenous peoples are always welcome, free of charge.

Schedule of Events:  

Quick Facts: 

• The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a national day of remembrance for the children who never returned home from state-sponsored Indian Residential Schools. 
• The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) is a place of learning and dialogue where the truths of the residential school experience will be honoured and kept safe for future generations. The NCTR educates Canadians on the profound injustices inflicted on First Nations, Inuit, and the Métis Nation by the forced removal of children to attend residential schools and the widespread abuse suffered in those schools.  
• Dr. Sean Carleton is an historian and Indigenous Studies settler scholar at the University of Manitoba. His research examines the history and political economy of colonialism, capitalism, and education in Canada.  
• Lessons in Legitimacy: Colonialism, Capitalism, and the Rise of State Schooling in British Columbia by Dr. Sean Carleton brings the histories of different kinds of state schooling for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples – public schools, Indian Day Schools, and Indian Residential Schools – into one analytical frame.
• Pat Nadeau (also known as Patricia Ningewance Nadeau) is Anishinaabe from Lac Seul First Nation and has taught Anishinaabemowin at Lakehead University, University of Manitoba, and Algoma University. She has published many books including 2 textbooks, 1 workbook, phrase books translated into other native languages, and an activity book under her company name Mazinaate, Inc. 
• Maeengan Linklater is Anishinaabe from Lac Seul First Nation. He is a father, a long-time Urban Aboriginal community volunteer, and a poet. 
• Aandeg Muldrew recently graduated from the University of Minnesota with an MA of Linguistics. He is also a sessional instructor at the University of Manitoba, and is working towards Indigenous language revitalization through a variety of language projects. 
• Dr. Erin Millions is a settler historian of colonialism, childhood, health, and Indigenous histories in Canada. Dr. Millions is currently the Research Director for the CIHR-funded Manitoba Indigenous Tuberculosis History Project at the University of Winnipeg. She is also a member of the Welcoming Winnipeg initiative, which aims to re-centre Indigenous histories and perspectives in Winnipeg by revisiting naming and heritage commemoration in the city. 
• All proceeds from admission to WAG-Qaumajuq on September 30 will be donated to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Self-identifying Indigenous peoples are always welcome, free of charge.
  

Quotes: 

“The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a time to remember the children that never returned home and to honour Survivors, their families, and their communities. This is also a day of grieving, healing, and learning not just for Indigenous communities but for all Canadians. We are pleased to work with the WAG, especially given the role art can play in healing and education.”  

— Brenda Gunn, Academic and Research Director, National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation 
 

“Murray Sinclair, the chair of the TRC, has said that he’s concerned that Canadians are rushing reconciliation and leaving the truth behind. The events of the past year have confirmed that there are no shortcuts; we still need truth before reconciliation. That’s why days like September 30 are important: they are opportunities to gather and witness and to listen and learn about the truth of Indian Residential Schools and their ongoing legacies today – and commit to being part of the solution moving forward. As a settler Canadian, I am honoured to be a part of the WAG’s special programing for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and to share knowledge and research and be in dialogue with community members.” 

— Dr. Sean Carleton, Author of Lessons in Legitimacy: Colonialism, Capitalism, and the Rise of State Schooling in British Columbia
 

“September 30 is a critically important day for Canadian settlers to listen to the stories of Residential School Survivors and learn about how to be appropriate allies. I’m very pleased to be partnering with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to deliver the programming for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to highlight the voices of most importantly – the Survivors, and settlers – because settlers have the most significant role to play in reconciliation.” 

— Julia Lafreniere, Head of Indigenous Initiatives, WAG-Qaumajuq
 

“The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation came about as a result of grassroots Indigenous advocacy. As settlers, we must be willing to bear the weight of this history, to humbly learn from survivors, and to advocate alongside Indigenous people for healing. Through the partnership between WAG-Qaumajuq and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, we honour the children who attended residential schools, both those who survived and those who did not, and offer hope for a different future and relationship between settler and Indigenous people.” 

— Dr. Stephen Borys, Director & CEO, WAG-Qaumajuq
 

Partnerships

WAG-Qaumajuq thanks the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation for their partnership.  

Associated Links

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Events @WAG  

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation 

Orange Shirt Day 

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For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:  

Hanna Waswa
Public Relations Officer
Winnipeg Art Gallery
204.789.1295
hwaswa@wag.ca
 

The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)-Qaumajuq is a cultural advocate using art to connect, inspire, and inform. Playing a dynamic role in the community, we are a place for learning, dialogue, and enjoyment through art. Opened in March 2021, Qaumajuq connects to the WAG on all levels, celebrating the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world. The new WAG-Qaumajuq cultural campus is now one of the largest art museums in Canada. To learn more visit wag.ca.   

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