Background: Canadian Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin has called Canada’s treatment of its First Nations people as ‘cultural genocide’.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has apologised in the House of Commons in Ottawa.
For First Nations Canadians like Maurice Lahanee, a member of BC’s Squamish nation and the publisher of Seven – Your Indigenous News Source, the struggle to heal a community are going to require more than acknowledgements and apologies.
He has witnessed the struggle of his community firsthand but he believes there can be a road forward.
For Nahanee, he believes the path to healing for his community exists in the traditions First Nations people have retained from their wounded past. For him, art and its composition will be instrumental. “Our tradition of art will provide healing and reveal the road forward,” he has stated.
Our Work: Sunflower worked closely with the Nahanee and his publication to create a series entitled “BC First Nation Artist Profiles”.
Our team provided copy-editing and translation on profiles featuring the work and positive stories of First Nations artists living in British Columbia.
These pieces targeted readers in the multicultural communities, giving New Canadians some insight into the traditions of Canada’s First Peoples.
The objective was to create new connections between the oldest and newest communities in this country and to contribute – in whatever small way possible – to the First People’s healing process.