Residential school monument makes stop in Regina

A heartfelt passion project will find its way to a national museum, but before it gets there, it’s making a stop in Regina.

Stanley Hunt carved a monument dedicated to the memory of children who were victims of the Canadian Indian Residential School System.

The Kwakiutl master carver is from the village of Fort Rupert in British Columbia. He created the giant black and orange monument to start a dialogue.

“I’m happy that people are here to hear the story,” he said at a ceremony that was held on Saturday.

“It’s really hard to talk about and I know it must be hard for people to hear this but if we don’t deal with it — with the truth — then as native people, we’ll never get reconciliation.”

The 7,000-pound monument was displayed sideways outside of RCMP headquarters, but when standing upright it’s 18 feet tall and about four feet in diameter.

It is travelling across the country en route to Gatineau, Que., where it will be displayed at the Canadian Museum of History.

It will stay in front of RCMP’s Saskatchewan Headquarters (also known as F Division) in Regina until Oct. 2.

It depicts a raven overlooking the pained faces of children. The raven also carries the “seed of life” in its beak.

“Beyond being an absolutely beautiful carving, it’s more than just a carving,” said Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, the commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP.

“It is representative of the history of residential schools but it also has elements that are incorporated into it. You will see the raven at the top of the monument looking down on the faces representing the children of residential schools and the raven representing looking towards a brighter future.

“It’s very powerful and impactful so we’re very fortunate to have it here.”

Blackmore said people will be able to visit the statue every day until 4 p.m.

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said the ceremony was an important step towards reconciliation.

“It’s very important to look at the history part of the organization. What took place in the past, what brought us to the position that we’re in today and then learn from that and build from that and build a better future for everyone,” Duheme said.

Brian Kelly is a staff sergeant with the RCMP as well as acting officer in charge of Indigenous Policing Services.

“It’s significant as we near Truth and Reconciliation Day that we honour the history and own our history as RCMP and the roles we played in the history of the Indian Residential School System,” Kelly said.

“We’re blessed really with the opportunity to host this monument on our grounds by the Hunt family and I think it’s incredible that we get to take the journey with this monument and own (our history with it).”

Hunt said he was inspired by the discovery of 215 possible unmarked graves in Kamloops, B.C.

“If you look closely at all the faces that are on that monument, no faces are smiling,” Hunt said. “They’re all in different degrees of grief.”