Witnessing the Witness Blanket

On Friday September 20th I was invited to become a witness for the Witness Blanket through ceremony at the request of master carver Carey Newman and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

It was an honour to be invited and as the son of an Indian Residential School survivor this role is personal to me. I will walk with the museum on its journey learning how to be a good relative to survivovors, their families & all Indigenous peoples in this territory, because for many Indigenous people, their human rights have and continue to be disrespected to the point of family separation, trauma or death.

My committment is to speak the truth, debwewin (truth in Anishinabemowin), to the CMHR as it acts as the home for the Witness Blanket moving forward. I will be honest and constructive, direct and deliberate. I will lean into the healthy and strong relationships that have been fostered and the responsibility we were reminded of in ceremony to confront injustice when we see it and invite the Museum to walk in a good way as we share stories and solve problems.

My hope is that not only will I witness the museum and blanket living in good relationship with one another; I also hope to witness justice. I hope to witness an end to systems if family separation, an end to to violence against Indigenous women girls & gender diverse kin. I hope we can witness healthy and strong Indigenous children who know their past and are hopeful foe the future because the adults today took concrete actions to make reconciliation more than just a buzz word. I hope we can witness the children coming home. I hope we cant witness an end to police killing my relatives. I hope we can witness justice.

Thank you to the new witnesses who will walk with me on this journey:

• Shelagh Rogers

• Aimee-Mihkokwaniy McGillis

• Kapanaise Thiebaut

• Melanie Murrey

And special love to the new representatives from the museum Aishia Khan & Matthew Cutler who will he with us on the journey too.