Choose Love: Join Hands in Truth & Reconciliation
An interactive mural for the community is to be painted on the north side of the Prairie North Plaza as part of Truth and Reconciliation. To celebrate kindness, love, and indigenous culture in our community and surrounding area and serve at a landmark location as a pillar of symbolism and hope.
North, as a symbolic gesture, paying homage to our Indigenous community. Interactive in the way: of placing hands as a community at the end of the ceremony and vowing to choose love and honor and accept one another. Interactive meaning: having an area designated for everyone to trace their hands on the mural and a moment where the public can connect. This portion of the mural will provide inclusivity of ALL nationalities, diversity groups, minorities and in essence the very basis of equality. Prior to this moment at the onset of the unveiling we will invite Indigenous elders to bless the new mural in the spirit of truth and reconciliation. This is a necessary component to the project as we continue to “Choose Love”
We believe that a mural and space would create awareness and positivity for the community in recognition of difficult times. This project will strengthen community resolve, pride, sense of place, increase cultural unity, and provide valued recreational experiences for the community by seeking their support. It will further encompass the resiliency of our community and region. The portraits in the mural represent 3 generations of indigenous peoples. The orange over the elders eyes in phase 2 represent her watching over the children lost, and protecting the children now.
The red ribbons running through phase 1 design represent the lost sisters, daughters, women, and they extend along the design as a vow to stand with women across our nation.
The young person in phase one represents the younger generation moving forward with strength, pride, compassion and love.
The colour pallet in both designs is a tribute to our treaty 6 lands and their medicine wheel colours. There is also the inclusion of sage, birch, and the wild rose.
The sun in the mural represents life-giving abundance with its warmth radiating healing and peace. We choose love.
The feathers in the phase 2 design symbolizes respect, honour, strength, courage and wisdom and specifically in the province of Saskatchewan they symbolize a step forward, a new chapter in the ongoing story of reconciliation.
The North side of the building had great sentiment when we discussed this project with the Heart of Treaty 6 Reconciliation Committee in the spring of this year. Clint Chocan told a story about the meaning. And the whole committee agreed that it was of great importance for the project to be north facing. He told us a story about how North of the Prairie North building about where the Gas Station sits on the highway is where Indigenous people had to stop to set up camp, get their goods, and leave. The intense meaning behind breaking that invisible line is hard to express in words. This project is more, it is more than we can see, it is more than I can say and it will mean more for generations to come.
At the final ceremony we will all place our hands on the wall and trace a line around them. Making a symbolic gesture of choosing love unified as a community.