The panels, unveiled on Monday, will contextualize the memorial’s elements and can be found near the Government House pavilion.
Two years after the Saskatchewan Residential School Memorial was first unveiled, new interpretive panels have been added to teach its visitors about the history of residential schools in the province.
The panels, unveiled Monday at Government House, will add context to the existing elements of the memorial, according to a news release sent out the same day. They are accompanied by metal silhouettes of children — constructed by Indigenous-owned fabrication company Pro Metal Industries — and can be found in the pavilion near the memorial.
“By acknowledging and understanding our past, we pave the way for healing and reconciliation,” Don McMorris, the minister responsible for the provincial capital commission, said in the news release. “The additions to the Saskatchewan Residential School Memorial are crucial steps in this ongoing journey.”
Visitors can also view two new traveling exhibits open for display inside Government House that teach visitors about the history and current impact of residential schools in Canada, the release added. The exhibits are named “Where Are the Children? Healing the Legacy of Residential Schools”, as presented by the Legacy of Hope Foundation and Library and Archives Canada, and “A National Crime: The Residential School System in Canada,” as presented by the Legacy of Hope Foundation and Department of Heritage Canada.
Thoughtfully created with natural resources that tie to both Saskatchewan and the Indigenous worldview, the memorial’s elements include a large rock in the centre of a circular space carrying a plaque with the names of all residential schools that operated in Saskatchewan. At the foot of the rock is a smudge stone, for ceremony. Four benches made from repurposed wood surround the rock, placed along the four primary directions alongside plants and trees native to the province.
“It isn’t just about recognizing the past, but it’s more importantly learning from the past,” McMorris said during the 2022 ceremony.
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