The Witness Blanket — Truth telling towards reconciliation

I am so pleased to share this blog by Carey Newman, Indigenous artist, master carver, filmmaker, author, mentor, and public speaker.On his  father’s side, he is from the Kwakwaka’wakw  from the Kukwekum, Giiksam, and WaWalaby’ie clans of Fort Rupert, and Coast Salish from Cheam of the Sto:lo Nation along the upper Fraser Valley,  in what is now called British Columbia. His mother’s family are settlers of English, Irish and Scottish ancestry.

A now permanent installation at the Canadian museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, The Witness Blanket is a large-scale work of art inspired by a woven blanket. Traditionally, blankets are meant to protect the young and comfort elders. It contains hundreds of items  reclaimed from residential schools, churches, government buildings and traditional and cultural structures from across Canada. It stands as a national monument to recognize the atrocities of the Indian residential school era. It honours the children and the Survivors. It symbolizes ongoing reconciliation.

Each piece of history that took its place on the Blanket is a silent witness to some part of this story. Individually, they are fragments of a disappearing narrative. Together they are strong. Together, they recount for future generations the true story of loss, strength, reconciliation and pride. In a recent Facebook post Carey describes how the installation continues to evolve and extend its witness further and fuller. As we near the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Monday, September 30, 2024 I am reminded how much the Witness Blanket can teach and encourage all of us who continue on the healing and reconciliation journey. As truth is told, reconciliation occurs. Carey writes:

On Friday, September 20th, I was in Winnipeg at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, with my family Elaine Ting and Addy, Chief Wedlidi Speck, Bradley Yuxwelupton Dick, Jennifer Ambers, and Tejas Collison. We were there to open the Witness Blanket exhibition in its permanent gallery space and conduct some work around the continuation of the stewardship agreement that we enacted at Kumugwe in 2019.

The day began with an “Edge of the Woods Ceremony” where on behalf of elder Robert Greene, elder Fred Kelly welcomed us to conduct Kwakwaka’wakw protocols on Treaty 1 territories. We then entered the museum where we blessed the blanket and people who have been working with and caring for it. Next we welcomed Isha Khan, Matthew Cutler, and Lisa Quirion as the CMHR representatives for the the agreement, called Shelagh Rogers, Michael Redhead Champagne, Aimee-Mihkokwaniy McGillis, Kapanaise Thiebaut, and Melanie Murrey as witneeses from the Winnipeg community, and introduced Addy as my eventual successor in the work of caring for the Blanket.

We held a council to speak about the changing needs of the blanket, 5 years into our agreement, and begin the process of looking forward at our shared responsibilities across the years ahead. It was wonderful to hear from Jennefer Nepinak and Heather Bidzinski, who despite having moved on from their time at the CMHR, remain connected to the work we began together. They were both deeply involved with forming and enacting the original agreement, and spoke about the personal significance that this work continues to holds for them.

At this point, we invited the wider public, including the media, to witness our work. Addy stood with me as I spoke about the continuing commitments that our family holds toward the Blanket and stories that it carries. Isha spoke about how she has come to understand the stewardship agreement, how it has guided us in forming new relationships together, and how this work has begun to influence other work within the museum. We also heard from the community witnesses, who each shared what they had seen and heard, challenging us to continue and expand this kind of relational work.

Then we ate food together.

Finally, Bradley sang, and Wedlidi expressed our gratitude for being allowed to conduct our cultural work on traditional territories that are not our own, and we handed cultural protocols back to Elder Green, who sang to honour the us and the moment. It was amazing to hear the drum echo through that great space, and look up to see the many familiar faces from the various teams at the museum.

It was a good day.

I am filled with gratitude.

Gilakas’la

He’mas