SFU plans residential school memorial
Posted January 26, 2016 12:31 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Simon Fraser University is planning a memorial which would honour First Nations, Metis and Inuit children who attended residential schools. The project is based on recommendations for calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The memorial would be located in the Faculty of Education building, which is undergoing renovations. Part of the memorial would be located inside and organizers are considering a garden outside that would include traditional plants and herbs used by Aboriginal people in BC.
William Lindsay is the director of SFU’s Office for Aboriginal Peoples and says they have $30,000 set aside. Anyone interested in making a donation to the project is welcome to do so, but Lindsay says they’ll be able to create something beautiful with the money that’s available.
“We’re looking at the creation of a memorial space that has multiple facets to it. One will be, potentially, a wall map of British Columbia made of bronze or copper that shows the locations of the residential schools here, as well as the names of them. We’re looking at the creation of a statue, potentially of a mother and child figure and/or a stone cairn memorial with some messaging.”
Another option would include some sort of visual aspect, like a screen, that features historic facts.
Lindsay says educating people about the issue is the main goal of the memorial. He expects the project to take two years and hopes other universities follow SFU’s lead.
