'I met with residential school survivors for inspiration': Indigenous murals unveiled in downtown London, Ont.
A panel of seven Indigenous murals was unveiled in downtown London, Ont. on Truth and Reconciliation Day.
A large crowd met at the corner of Colborne St. and Horton Street to view the
The “We Are Still Here” mural.
It is a joint project between the City of London, N’Amerind Friendship Centre and the London Arts Council.
Ojibwe educator and lead artist Mike Cywink worked with youth Indigenous artists and residential school survivors paint a portion of the mural.
The project aims to “honour the legacy of Residential School Survivors and the children who were lost through Canada’s Residential School System.”
“I met with the residential school survivor group first,” says Cywink.
“I heard some stories and then I came up with the designs myself. I designed them on my iPad and then I transferred the images onto the pieces of plywood, and then then we all painted.”
Cywink credited the people at N’Amerind with support in many areas including answering questions about the Haudenosaunee culture.
The project took two months as Cywink worked with youth Jaims and Jordain Mirasty and Sir Frederick Nicholas on the panels.
“I like knowing that I can come down the street, and I can look up at the side of the building and I can say that ‘I did that’’, says Nicholas, 16, a student at HB Beal Secondary School.
“I want them to understand what they mean and to know how much they mean to the indigenous community”.
Nicholas says it was tough this summer painting the murals because the air conditioning was broken on the second floor of N’Amerind during many of the hot days.
“There would be days when it was just so hot, but we still continue to do the work because this means a lot,” says Nicholas, whose great grandfather tried to escape Residential School 13 times.
“It's a great representation of our people that we haven't had for a long time. Now this is going to be out in the public for everybody to see and it just feels really nice to know that I was a part of that.”
Cywink wants those driving or walking by to think about healing, and the positive work being done to help make things better.
“A lot of indigenous people live with this pain and trauma 365 days a year,” says Cywink.
“I just want people to remember that it's nice on this day to see so many people wearing orange shirts, but people feel that negative stuff that goes along with the residential school system all the time. There is so many people out there putting in work to make things better for us.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Being harassed at work? What to consider when deciding what to do next
If you've been the victim of workplace harassment, it can be difficult to feel you're not alone - and even more difficult to know where to go with a complaint.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Half of Canadians support TikTok ban, with U.S. concerns 'trickling' north: poll
A new poll indicates 51 per cent of Canadians support banning the social media app TikTok, after a U.S. bill aiming to do just that passed in the House of Representatives.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.