Niinawind nindibaajimowininaan: our story – Winnipeg Free Press
On July 26, 2013, an employee of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights leaked information to the media that all reference to the word ‘genocide’ was removed from all exhibits related to Indian residential schools. As a result, indigenous activists took to the streets, and the CMHR evacuated the construction workers from the half-built museum.
As the first visible First Nations male to be employed at the CMHR, I want to share with you my perspective as it relates to Indian residential schools, the application of the word ‘genocide’ and an option for reconciliation between Canada and the indigenous peoples.
I was hired on a two-year contract to oversee the development of a complex national project, which became the National Spirit Panel project in the Indigenous Perspectives gallery, and to develop aboriginal programming. Within six months, CMHR initiated a partnership with the National Association of Friendship Centres, was ready to launch the National Spirit Panel project, and was poised to develop deep programming initiatives based upon the draft strategy for aboriginal public programming.
