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| A valid statement. Source. |
As my time at Musings winds down, I’m faced with the same feeling every person goes through when their contract is up, graduation is looming, or it is simply time to move on. I am supposed to enjoy this stomach-lurching, fear inducing, excitement producing haze I am in, right? I am also supposed to be tying up loose ends, by finishing projects, saying thank you to the people who have helped me, and, yes of course, writing one last article for Musings that is poignant, encompassing, and has an air of editorial sign-off.
This is not that article, because I have never intended to, nor want to write that article for this column.
I created this column in Winter of 2018, when the largest institutions in Canada such as the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the National Gallery of Canada began implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action, land acknowledgments were standard practise, and Indigenous voices were being sought out. I considered this an optimistic period pertaining to Indigenous presence in Cultural Heritage Organizations. My head was filled with the teachings of Ruth Phillips and Amy Lonetree and I was high on the promise of better things to come.
In the past two years while writing this column, I’ve seen incredible strides in the state of Canada's relationships with Indigenous peoples, such as acts of repatriation from collections, language remediation programs in galleries, and the state of Canada (finally!) signing on to United Nations Declaration of the Rights if Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). I have seen incredible grassroots projects operating outside the museum that start the conversation of reconciliation, understanding, and knowledge sharing.
And now I’m leaving at potentially one of the most complicated times in the state of Canadian’s history with Indigenous peoples. One of the most pressing issues, as I write this article, is the events surrounding Wet’suwet’en. I don’t presume to know your relationship with these events-- you might have been affected by the blockades, angered by the inconveniences, apathetic towards the situation, participated in solidarity, either by going to a protest, giving money, or making support known through social media, or you might fluctuate between all these scenarios. I’m not going to pretend I am expert on what is happening and instead I am going to turn to the people who are far more educated and articulate on the matter than I.
Another flashpoint of this topic I would be remised to mention is the murder of Colten Boushie, a young Cree Man from Saskatchewan, and the acquittal of his murderer by the court of law. Tasha Hubbard weaves the events of the narrative with the stark history of colonialism on the Prairies in her documentary nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up.
These are only two examples of incredible negligence, racism, and continued violence from the media, the colonial government, and the bystanders that are complicit in these events by proudly branding themselves “Canadians.”
An institution that has been quiet on these issues is museums. It wasn’t until the morning of February 26, 2020 when the silence was broken with the words “Is this the future you want,” scrawled on the Canadian Museum of Human Rights (CMHR) in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
This is not a question, but a statement, a review, and above all, a challenge. The brave, unknown person who manifested this thought into existence through red spray paint, was pleading with the only institution that they thought would listen. The only institution who is tasked with witnessing, preserving, and publicising events, like the ones that are happening in Canada and what will be considered history. The unknown person, like me and many people across Canada, is asking: When you are the museum that is tasked with the enhancement of the public's understanding of human rights, promoting respect for others and encouraging reflection and dialogue, how dare you stay silent.
In response, on the CMHR Facebook page these questions were posed:
In answering the unknown person and everyone they represent, I say no, the present we have now is not the reflective of the future I want. In conclusion, dear reader, I’m going to rephrase the question the CMHR asked: “What path (or steps) have you taken to ensure an equitable future? What more can you do? As always, you can leave a comment, or if Twitter and Instagram are more your speed my handle on both is @Ally_but_online.
This is not that article, because I have never intended to, nor want to write that article for this column.
I created this column in Winter of 2018, when the largest institutions in Canada such as the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the National Gallery of Canada began implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action, land acknowledgments were standard practise, and Indigenous voices were being sought out. I considered this an optimistic period pertaining to Indigenous presence in Cultural Heritage Organizations. My head was filled with the teachings of Ruth Phillips and Amy Lonetree and I was high on the promise of better things to come.
In the past two years while writing this column, I’ve seen incredible strides in the state of Canada's relationships with Indigenous peoples, such as acts of repatriation from collections, language remediation programs in galleries, and the state of Canada (finally!) signing on to United Nations Declaration of the Rights if Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). I have seen incredible grassroots projects operating outside the museum that start the conversation of reconciliation, understanding, and knowledge sharing.
And now I’m leaving at potentially one of the most complicated times in the state of Canadian’s history with Indigenous peoples. One of the most pressing issues, as I write this article, is the events surrounding Wet’suwet’en. I don’t presume to know your relationship with these events-- you might have been affected by the blockades, angered by the inconveniences, apathetic towards the situation, participated in solidarity, either by going to a protest, giving money, or making support known through social media, or you might fluctuate between all these scenarios. I’m not going to pretend I am expert on what is happening and instead I am going to turn to the people who are far more educated and articulate on the matter than I.
Another flashpoint of this topic I would be remised to mention is the murder of Colten Boushie, a young Cree Man from Saskatchewan, and the acquittal of his murderer by the court of law. Tasha Hubbard weaves the events of the narrative with the stark history of colonialism on the Prairies in her documentary nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up.
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| A still from Tasha Hubbard's documentary nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up. Source. |
An institution that has been quiet on these issues is museums. It wasn’t until the morning of February 26, 2020 when the silence was broken with the words “Is this the future you want,” scrawled on the Canadian Museum of Human Rights (CMHR) in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
This is not a question, but a statement, a review, and above all, a challenge. The brave, unknown person who manifested this thought into existence through red spray paint, was pleading with the only institution that they thought would listen. The only institution who is tasked with witnessing, preserving, and publicising events, like the ones that are happening in Canada and what will be considered history. The unknown person, like me and many people across Canada, is asking: When you are the museum that is tasked with the enhancement of the public's understanding of human rights, promoting respect for others and encouraging reflection and dialogue, how dare you stay silent.
In response, on the CMHR Facebook page these questions were posed:
What path do you see to a better future where everyone’s rights can be respected? How can we create that future together?”
In answering the unknown person and everyone they represent, I say no, the present we have now is not the reflective of the future I want. In conclusion, dear reader, I’m going to rephrase the question the CMHR asked: “What path (or steps) have you taken to ensure an equitable future? What more can you do? As always, you can leave a comment, or if Twitter and Instagram are more your speed my handle on both is @Ally_but_online.
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