Traditional carving representing Indian Residential School survivors makes stop in Regina

A monument representing a dark chapter of Canada’s history is making a stop in Regina.

The monument is a traditional carving, standing 18-feet tall and weighing over 7,000 pounds.

It is meant to represent the thousands of children who went through the Indian Residential School System (IRRS).

“If you look closely at all of the faces on the monument, no faces are smiling. They’re all in different degrees of grief,” Stanley Hunt, a master carver from Fort Rupert, B.C. who created the monument told CTV News.

The carving is on a cross-country trip, making its way to the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec.

A number of parties have been connected to the monument and its movement, including the RCMP, who have accompanied it from its place of origin on Vancouver Island.

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The RCMP is using this time to acknowledge and apologize for its involvement in the history of IRRS.

“The important piece we believe and represented by the monument, is the acknowledgment of that last and moving forward with our efforts in reconciliation,” Rhonda Blackmore, the Commanding Officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP noted.

“I don’t feel like we can do that without acknowledging the past.”

Throughout the ranks of the RCMP, there are members who have been impacted by the IRSS.

“It’s an emotional connection for Indigenous officers to have a foot in both worlds,” said S/Sgt. Brian Kelly.

“When we wear the uniform, but at the same time we’re representing our Indigenous community.”

The monument is painted black and orange.

The black is to signify a dark time in Canadian history, while the orange is to represent the Every Child Matters movement.

The monument will remain in Regina until Oct. 2.