Local Selkirkian Jeannie White Bird helps to bring awareness at The Colour Orange
The Colour Orange was an event that took place in recognition of Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 29. This event was hosted by Pineridge Hollow and Anish Healing Centre and local artist and knowledge keeper Jeannie White Bird teamed up with Huddle Selkirk to bring a Paddle Project art exhibit that was part of their 60s Scoop education area.
“This is the second annual fundraiser that they’ve put on. It highlights different aspects of truth and reconciliation and trying to teach people the beauty of our culture and the paddles are featured with our 60s Scoop presenter, which is Bradford Bilodeau,” said Nadine Swartout, 60s Scoop Coordinator for Anish Healing Centre.
Bilodeau is from Beasejour and is a 60s Scoop survivor. He now shares his story of being taken from his family at a young age and has done presentations throughout Canada and in the United States.
White Bird is also a 60s Scoop survivor, a Selkirk resident, an artist, and continues to advocate for reconciliation in our community through her role as a local knowledge keeper.
“For people that don’t know about the 60s Scoop. There was a time after residential schools where Canada started taking a lot of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children and adopting them out or placing them with non-Indigenous families,” said Swartout.
In addition to 50 paddles being painted as part of this Paddle Project, there is also a canoe that was painted and will eventually make its home at Anish Healing Centre’s new headquarters.
Residents will also know White Bird as a muralist in Selkirk and she led the painting of the paddles and the canoe. The canoe was painted in colours that represent a ribbon skirt and, the paddles, White Bird said, she gave a little instruction to the Huddle artists but ultimately let them choose their own colours and designs.
“The 60s Scoop, it’s the continuation of the Indian Residential Schools and the negative impacts of it. For myself, I don’t say just that I’m 60s Scoop. I say ‘I’m a part of the federal/provincial policy of forced removals of Indigenous children from their families, from their communities, resulting in a loss of culture, heritage and language in a period known as the 60s Scoop.’ I feel there are a lot of people who, like our friends have already said, they don’t know what the 60s Scoop is. It’s not something that has been highlighted as much as we know about the residential schools. It’s just a continuation and also the continuation of the 60s Scoop is also the current child welfare system,” said White Bird.
Jennifer Burling, an 18-year-old, who entered the child welfare system in Manitoba originally as a toddler and then from the age of six onward, was one of the artists who painted paddles as part of this project.
“I just walked into Huddle one day. They were painting paddles, and I love art. It’s always been a passion of mine. So, I decided to join and just got to talking,” said Burling.
She explained that she recently moved into an apartment after living in a vehicle and is hoping to make changes for her future.
“I know that’s a big thing with a lot of people these days. They’re trying to break the cycle of their family. That’s been one of my biggest goals,” said Burling.
When she learned about the Paddle Project and the 60s Scoop she felt a connection to those people.
“My foster mom is full English, and my foster dad was Métis but we didn’t really do much tradition. It’s like, yeah, we made bannock, and we’d go outside all the time. But it wasn’t very traditional,” she said.
“I didn’t really get to grow up and know a lot about my culture, and I think that was something that I would have loved to know about,” Burling explained.
She feels that bringing attention to the 60s Scoop and the history of Indigenous people is important as well as making changes so that Indigenous children can learn more about their heritage.
“Especially Gen Z and the new generation, we don’t want our culture to die down. We want it to keep flourishing and growing. I think it’s good that we pass it down to the younger generation,” said Burling.
White Bird said that all of this work is about bringing this history to the attention of the public.
“People need to be educated. Our relatives, we need to reach out to our relatives who are part of those systems and who maybe they don’t even realize what their culture is, their heritage. The language is right here. Right here, amongst them and what a beautiful way to do that through art. Art reaches all people,” said White Bird.
Record Photos by Katelyn Boulanger
