dan kellar
Kitchener, ON – While the neighbourhood surrounding Kitchener’s newest library branch in still under construction, inside the building, a 15m long wall sculpture has been installed and unveiled, which according to a city press release “explores and honours connection to the earth and to each other, but also the traditional sharing of knowledge within Indigenous communities.”
The artwork, a collaboration with Anishinaabe Indigenous artists Isaac Murdoch and Nyle Johnston is named Wintertime Stories and is a sprawling mixed medium sculpture made with acrylic and wood and features pictographs and iconography. The press release notes the sculpture is “rooted in the Anishinabek storytelling tradition, intersecting cultures and life in the northern woodlands”.
This show features interviews with Wintertime Stories co-creator Nyle Johnston and Eric Rumble, the Coordinator, or Arts and Creative Industries at City of Kitchener, who helped facilitate the selection process for the artwork.
dan kellar Waterloo, ON – As Waterloo works to incorporate reconciliation, equity, accessibility, diversity, and inclusion, the launch of the Get READI plan in mid-February will now guide all city divisions as they plan and provide programs and services for the community.
While announcing the launch, mayor Dorothy McCabe said that the work the city does must reflect the growing size and diversity of the city’s population. The city has been working towards this goal since 2017 to address historical systemic denial of equity.
This show features an interview with Divya Handa, the director of reconciliation, equity, accessibility, diversity and inclusion at the city of Waterloo. Handa discusses the Get READI plan including the genesis and origin of the city’s work, the cooperation needed in drafting the plan, how implementation will happen, and addresses some of the critiques of DEI that have been raised.
dan kellar
Waterloo, ON – New exhibits which explore Indigenous histories and resilience have opened at the City of Waterloo Museum. These “impactful and informative” exhibits are a “space for reflection” about the effects of colonialism “in our own backyard”.
Two of the exhibits are Killing the Indian in the Child: Generations Lost and Bi-Giwen: Coming Home – Truth-Telling from the Sixties Scoop, both created by the organisation Legacy of Hope. The Sixties Scoop refers to actions by provincial governments which intensified in the 1960’s where Indigenous children were taken from their families and communities and adopted out to primary Euro-Canadian middle class families throughout North America. The Sixties Scoop was a continuation of colonial violence, and similar to Residential Schools the goal was assimilating Indigenous children into “western society”.
The other two exhibits are Bead the Tract from the organisation Protect the Tract which is a beadwork representation of the Haldimand Tract, and graphic recordings by Mohawk artist Dakota Brant. Graphic recordings are large-scale colourful drawings with written information, which are used for translating spoken word by facilitators during community engagement.
In a press release announcing the new exhibits, the city says “these exhibitions delve into the lasting impacts of the Residential School system and the Sixties Scoop while amplifying Indigenous voices, resilience and the ongoing journey toward Reconciliation.”
This show features an interview with Jennifer Huber, the program and engagement associate with the City of Waterloo museum, which is located in Conestoga Mall on King Street North in Waterloo. Admission is Free.
On June 20th, 2020, O:se Kenhionhata:tie, also known as Land Back Camp, was originally launched by Amy Smoke, Bangishimo, and Terre Chartrand in what was known as Victoria Park in Kitchener. The camp quickly became a hub of activity and it was quickly observed that “most of the young people at the camp were also Two Spirit, queer, trans, and/or non-binary. Land Back Camp had become an Indigenous queer and trans space for young people to reconnect and learn about their Indigeneity”.
Fast forward through an intentionally short-lived land reclamation in Waterloo Park in the fall of 2020, a collaboration with the Grand River Conservation authority in 2021 to have the camp set up in the Laurel Creek Conservation area, the work with the tent encampments through 2022 and 2023, ongoing work with the local governments around supporting Indigenous spaces, and now with the opening of a new centre for “Indigenous, Black, and other racialised two-spirit and Indigiqueer youth”, Land Back Camp organisers have been busy.
This show features an interview with Amy Smoke, who along with her friend Bangishimo, is set to coordinate the activities at the new Willow River Centre in downtown Kitchener once it opens on October 7th.
Amy spoke of the goals and of the importance of the centre, the youth she hopes the centre will serve, and a bit of the process in getting to this point.
Smoke also discusses recent targeting of the centre, by an individual who used to participate in Land Back Camp, and the impact the action has had on Indigenous, Black, and other racialised communities, and two-spirited and queer communities. The police became involved in the situation after the vandalism was reported, and after arranging to turn himself in, the perpetrator of the chalking was charged with:
Mischief to Religious Property under $5,000
Criminal Harassment
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime under $5,000.
The man was released on his own recognizance and will be in court October 26th at 9am
CKMS News has been in contact with the man, a self described “former ally” who had a falling out with others at Land Back Camp, including Amy Smoke and Bangishimo. The man defended his actions as acts to bring accountability to what he says were misappropriated funds stemming from several fundraising campaigns that Land Back Camp has received. One message he chalked read “Ose:Kenhionhata:tie didn’t take Land Back! They took money from white guilt”. In his communications on social media, and with CKMS News the man also described interpersonal conflicts and behaviors he did not condone or felt were inconsistent as additional motivations for his acts. However, with many of the details being unclear or speculative in nature and with the personal attacks on Land Back Camp participants, CKMS News did not find it appropriate or in the public interest to publish the full communication.
Smoke, clearly frustrated and angry about the situation, said of the man “They need an intervention, they need some help. They’re no okay”
The interview moves back to positive things around the centre with Smoke inviting folks to the opening ceremonies at the Willow River Centre on October 7th from 9am-2pm “but probably later”. The address is 243 King St E, near the Kitchener Farmers Market.
Smoke concludes by encouraging folks to check out the many events happening around the National for Truth and Reconciliation.
This piece features an interview with Guy Freedman, president of the First People’s Group, who consulted on the Prime Minister’s Path in Baden. The interview took place on July 5.
The group released its recommendations on June 30 in preparation for a Special Council meeting for the Township of Wilmot on July 5, 2021.
The first People’s Group advises removal and cancellation of the whole PM’s Path in Baden, including all existing statues which lie behind the administration building. The final decision will be up to the council.
Over the past couple months, The First People’s Group has engaged the public in terms of the future of the Path. There was a large response to the engagement with 461 responses in the community engagement forum. The future of the path became further in question following the discovery of unmarked graves of children all over Canada.
— This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
Check out the archived versions of this program and other episodes onradiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative atcanada-info.ca.
You can follow us on twitter@RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca
