Kwakiutl First Nation master carver Stan Hunt鈥檚 monument for residential school children completes its Island tour today bound for Vancouver.

Hunt, apprentice carver Rey Dickie and master carver Mervyn Child, worked on the project together for roughly 11 months, finishing just in time for its unveiling on June 16 at Carrot Park in Port Hardy.

Vancouver businessman and philanthropist Ray Bergen was the financial backer for the monument, which stands 18 feet tall by four feet in diameter and features a giant raven on top with the seed of life in its beak, and has traditionally carved children鈥檚 faces all the way to the bottom. The monument only has two stark colours, black and orange. The black was used to represent all the children who died during this horrific part of Canadian/Indigenous history, and the orange bands that separate the rows of children鈥檚 faces are there to honour the Every Child Matters movement.

There鈥檚 a cross in the centre of the monument that鈥檚 been inverted. The cross represents those who were involved with the residential schools, says Hunt.

A Canadian maple leaf was also painted upside down, along with the words RCMP and NWMP (North West Mountain Police).

Hunt had originally decided to create the monument after learning of the first 215 unmarked graves that were recovered at the former residential school at Tk鈥檈mlups te Secwepemc in 2021.

The unveiling of the monument in Carrot Park featured Indigenous dancers, drummers, singing, and quite a few heartfelt speeches from local community members.

Hunt spoke briefly at the end of the ceremony, addressing the crowd of hundreds who鈥檇 gathered to pay their respects and see the monument before it made its way down island to Campbell River.

鈥淚 wanted [this monument] to be a focal point that people could look at, with the rest of Canada and people all around the world, to see this and to know exactly what this was for,鈥� Hunt said. 鈥淭his was made for the children who were in residential schools, not only in Canada, but around the world - this isn鈥檛 just Canada, this happened all around the world and it鈥檚 something that should never have happened in any time of our history, and that monument should鈥檝e never had to have been made.鈥�

Hunt then wondered what all the children who had died in residential schools would have done with their lives if they鈥檇 survived.

鈥淭hey might have become teachers, they might have been lawyers, doctors, business people 鈥� they never had a chance to do any of that, so it leaves it up to us to wonder what they could have been.鈥�

He thanked Bergen and his wife, stating he wouldn鈥檛 have been able to create the project without their backing, and then thanked his family and friends who stood alongside him the entire way.

He added he was, 鈥渞eally proud to see so many people that came out today鈥� for the ceremony.

Vancouver Island tour schedule for the monument

June 16: Port Hardy.

June 18: Campbell River

June 19: Nanaimo and Duncan

June 20: Victoria Inner Harbour.

June 21: Island farewell, arrival to Vancouver Inner Harbour

editor@northislandgazette.com
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