City approves new art memorial for missing and murdered people

“Community reports indicate that the true statistics are even greater than ‘the official’ statistics reported by police and the justice system. Further to that, these statistics don’t include men and 2SLGBTQQIA people,” Garven said. “It is likely that we will never know the true number of those missing from our communities. Elders in our community remind us that this can happen to anyone, and it is not just isolated to Indigenous people. For these reasons, artist Lyndon Tootoosis intends that this memorial be available for everyone’s grief and reflection, and to bring comfort to those who have lost a loved one.”

Garven added that missing and murdered women and girls is a particularly concerning issue in the region and has impacted many people’s lives.

“Community support for Walking With Our Sisters, Krista’s Kilometers for MMIW, and other local grassroot efforts are clear indicators of how relevant this topic is to North Battleford residents,” she said. “This is not an historical event, but something that more and more families are enduring daily. ‘Place of Reflection’ will enrich the lives of those grieving the loss of a loved one. The commemoration will bring honour and recognition, and reassure them that their loved ones are not forgotten, and by doing so, will provide support and sense of community. It will create further awareness and sensitivity, and reinforce a deeper understanding of this ongoing tragedy.”

The memorial will be modeled after another project that Tootoosis installed in Regina in 2014 at the RCMP Depot, on the grounds near the RCMP Heritage Centre. It is designed in the shape of a medicine wheel, and formed using 1,400 rocks.

Tootoosis said the installation will give people somewhere to go and pray, and “celebrate their ancestors.”

“I dreamed of it; that was the reason I wanted to build it,” Tootoosis told council of the memorial. “The stone has healing powers.”

He said the powers of the rock saved him from challenges he was facing, so he hopes it will help others also. Tootoosis stressed the memorial is not an art project. It will instead be a living memorial, and a place for people to go to lay flowers to remember a loved one.

Council approved the recommendation from administration, and $500 for signage, $500 for catered lunch in the Don Ross Centre for those helping with the project, and a $1,000 honorarium to the artist. The honorarium may be covered through the galleries operational budget and through the support of incoming grants. The art memorial will be constructed on the slope of land that runs behind the Don Ross Community Centre and Blue Jays Diamond.

Coun. Bill Ironstand strongly favoured the initiative.

“It [will be] a gathering place much needed in this city, as you [Tootoosis] said,” he noted, adding he appreciates the artist’s initiative.

Mayor David Gillan also liked the idea of the proposal.

“You have our support,” he told Tootoosis. “Administration will work out the details. As you said, I hope this project can help bring healing in the community because it’s so important. And this council, we promote that as well. We’re trying to improve all our relations in our community, and engage the community.”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow

by Angela Brown

City approves new art memorial for missing and murdered people

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