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The Museum collaborated with staff from the Canadian Conservation Institute to understand the care required, and it has enlisted the expertise of the conservation team from the Manitoba Museum to lead this project. Treatments are occurring in our Level 1 Gallery, as well as at the Manitoba Museum's conservation laboratory.

In addition to the collaborative work of experts from both museums, a conservation technician with an Indigenous perspective from Mniwakan Oyate (Spirit Lake Dakota Nation) joined our team for several months. Skylar Wall gained valuable experience working in the field of conservation in a museum, learned about the preservation of tangible and intangible heritage, and shared ideas.

More than 130 Indian residential schools operated across Canada. They were a deliberate attempt to destroy Indigenous communities and ways of life. This system was part of a broader process of colonization and genocide.

Conservation of the Witness Blanket is critical because it not only represents Canada's human rights history and the genocide committed, but also offers an opportunity to advance discussion about genocide and reconciliation. The preservation approach for these tangible and intangible pieces of the past respects the Stories and people involved, and honours our commitment to uphold their cultural and spiritual significance. In keeping with a unique stewardship agreement reached with the artist, we act in accordance with traditional teachings that include respect, humility, love, truth, honesty, courage and wisdom.

Many of the artifacts are living and spiritual objects, which the conservation project team members consider as they plan and carry out their work. For example, some are honoured by leaving the evidence of their histories intact, such as accumulated rust, lichen or scratches, while others will be allowed to naturally age and deteriorate. The conservation project team is carefully working to ensure they align their processes and ethical conservation practices with the artist's intention.

The conservation project team and the artist work collaboratively to determine which materials are used in the various treatments, which often means choosing natural over synthetic materials and limiting the use of chemicals. Reversible practices ensure that anything done to each piece can also be undone if needed, now or in the future.

Witness Blanket: Preserving a Legacy is presented alongside , an exhibition that explores artistic expression as a response to large‐scale violations of human rights.

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Witness Blanket: Preserving a Legacy | CMHR

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Namwayut: we are all one. Truth and Reconciliation. Video Story

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Namwayut: we are all one. Truth and Reconciliation. Video Story

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Namwayut: we are all one. Truth and reconciliation in Canada | Canada is ...

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Get Creative with Professional Artists & MusiciansLearn MoreBring the Studio Experience to Your ClassroomLearn MoreSpark Creative Potential​Learn MoreAmplify Indigenous Youth VoicesLearn More Previous Next Previous Next Mobile Production Studio Inspire young creative Indigenous voices as they learn the ins and outs of music production and collaborate with their peers to create a professionally produced music [...]

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National Center for Truth and Reconciliation 

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National Center for Truth and Reconciliation 

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NCTR - National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

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About the NCTR The NCTR is a place of learning and dialogue where the truths of the residential school experience will be honoured and kept safe for future generations. The most important service we provide is delivering Survivors and their families a record of their own history, a sacred bundle that the NCTR will protect

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A National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Message from LHF Board President, Adam North Peigan Our latest toolkit How to be an Ally - A Toolkit for Aspiring Indigenous Allies is now available! Download a free copy

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Circles for Reconciliation (CFR) is honouring the first "National Day for Truth and Reconciliation" as a non-profit organization as a Statutory Holiday under Bill C-5 that achieved Royal Assent on June 3rd, 2021. The Act creates a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a statutory holiday that will commemorate the victims and survivors of the Indian Residential Schools and will be observed on September 30th moving forward. CFR recognizes September 30th as a mourning day to honour the sacred ones and survivors of the Indian Residential Schools and we encourage organizations and others to do the same.

Guided Tour of Residential School offered by a Survivor for Winnipeg Participants

Circles for Reconciliation will take 35 participants to Portage La Prairie to take a guided tour of the Residential School which is now a national historical site. The tour will be offered by a Survivor. Following the tour we will take part in Indigenous commemorative events offered at Southport, just outside of Portage la Prairie.

CBC Radio Interview with Toronto Participants

Ismaila Alfa, the host of Metro Morning, CBC Radio's local morning program in Toronto, met with four of our circle participants to talk about Reconciliation. Fittingly seated amongst such sacred medicines as tobacco and sweetgrass in Eglinton Park Community Garden, two Indigenous and two non-Indigenous people talked about what Reconciliation means to each of them as they shared reflections on the value of their experiences as participants of Circles for Reconciliation.

The show will air as two segments on September 30 and October 1 st during the morning show after 7:00am EST.

Be sure to listen!

Links for recorded segments:
September 30, 2021
September 29 Zoom Event with Reconciliation Thunder
Taking Action - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Over the course of the #94in94 campaign we have been sharing one of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action each day for every day leading up to the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Over the course of this campaign we have seen an average of 300 shares each day totaling over 28,200. Together we've pointed thousands of people back to the work of the Truth and Reconciliation as a framework for dialogue and action at a critical time for our nation. Thank you for your support!

The event was a time to reflect on the work we've done together and the new commitments that have been and will be formed as a result of our campaign. We discussed more about our #94in94 challenge and listened to Kaila Johnston from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation answering your questions about translating these calls into action.

2021 Annual Newsletter

We are pleased to offer you the eighth edition of our newsletter. Thanks to the generosity of our large cohort of volunteers, supported by our generous funders, we can report that Circles for Reconciliation is expanding far more rapidly across Canada than we had anticipated. We hope you will continue to join us on this journey of reconciliation.

2021 Newsletter Circles for Reconciliation

#94in94

In response to the recent discoveries in Kamloops and Brandon, Reconciliation Thunder and Circles for Reconciliation have launched an awareness campaign to help center conversations on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action. For each of the 94 days before Orange Shirt Day (September 30, 2021) each of the 94 Calls to Action will be shared on social media in hopes that one day every Canadian will have read the TRC Report and have chosen at least one to act on.

More information is on our Get Involved tab. Follow us - each call will be posted to all our social streams every day!

Register today!

Take the first step on your journey to Reconciliation by joining Circles. No cost to participants.

Audio produced by NCI-FM Radio in Manitoba
We are now passing the Talking Stick virtually...

Reconciliation cannot be put on hold! Zoom Circles are being held.

"I am a Wakka Wakka person living in Bundjalung Country on the east coast of Australia. The image for me is about women's healing and the different shades of our skin since the coloni z ation and introduction of genocide and that no matter what we lo ok like we still have a place in the circle. The leaves we use when we dance to prepare an area for ceremony by cleansing".

Belle Arnold

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Circles For Reconciliation - Reconciliation in Canada

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Circles for Reconciliation (CFR) is honouring the first "National Day for Truth and Reconciliation" as a non-profit organization as a Statutory Holiday under Bill C-5 that achieved Royal Assent on June 3rd, 2021. The Act creates a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a statutory holiday that will commemorate the victims and survivors of the Indian Residential Schools and will be observed on September 30th moving forward.

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How well do you know Orange Shirt Day? | Quizzes | CBC Kids

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How well do you know Orange Shirt Day? | Quizzes | CBC Kids

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Find out how much you know about the story and meaning behind Orange Shirt Day.

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Community Ceremony

A Sample Agenda

We've created a simple and effective sample agenda for your community event.

Opening prayer and drumming

Welcome to traditional territory by Chief

Welcome by Mayor, local government representative

Greetings from provincial government officials, School Board

Residential school survivor or family member speaking about residential school

Entertainment and/or children's activity.

That's it, that's all you have to do! Keep it simple and it will be effective. You may very well have other ideas that you would like to try. Try them. You may also want to use the day as a kick off to other activities during the year. Go ahead - do that! The only thing we ask is that Phyllis' story is part of your day.

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Residential Schools & ReconciliationResources Please browse our selection of resources and ideas to help you with understanding and planning Orange Shirt Day, the Residential School System of Canada, and much more.Community CeremonyA Sample AgendaWe've created a simple and effective sample agenda for your community event.