A symbol of resilience and reconciliation, the Witness Blanket invites everyone to bear witness and learn the historical importance it holds to ensure it is not forgotten.
Queen’s University hosted the Witness Blanket, a significant large-scale art piece on loan from Canada’s Museum of Human Rights. Representing Indigenous resilience and ongoing reconciliation efforts, the Witness Blanket was displayed in the Fireplace Reading Room on the second floor of Stauffer Library from early April to early June.
“We initiated this process several years ago, as there is a lengthy wait list to host the Witness Blanket. We were extremely lucky that there was an unexpected opportunity for us to host this year, and we jumped at the chance,” Vice-Provost and University Librarian, Mark Asberg said in a statement to The Journal.
The Witness Blanket, created by Carey Newman (Hayalthkin’geme), was built from letters, photos, books, clothing, and building fragments collected from sites across every province and territory in Canada. The project included travelling 200,000 kilometres, visiting 77 communities, and meeting over 10,000 people.
“Each object comprising the Witness Blanket represents a story from a specific time and place, and together they tell a sweeping history of residential schools and Indigenous experiences,” Asberg said.
Inspired by a traditional woven blanket, the Witness Blanket is made from over 800 items reclaimed from residential schools, churches, government buildings, and cultural structures across Canada. The exhibition honours more than 150,000 Indigenous children forced into residential schools between 1870 and 1996, seeking to foster a better understanding of Canada’s past.
Each piece on the Witness Blanket vividly portrays the history of Canada’s Residential Schools, which spanned for centuries. These patches carry profound historical and emotional weight, representing the experiences of Indigenous children who faced institutional and systemic injustices, and the lasting impact on their families and communities across generations.
Housing the Blanket in the library was particularly significant, as “libraries are places that connect people with diverse forms of knowledge and, perhaps more importantly, each other,” Asberg said. The Witness Blanket acts as a bridge by creating a safe space to learn about Canada’s history with Indigenous Peoples and unite in the journey toward truth and reconciliation.
“Universities, and particularly libraries, have a responsibility to share the true history of what happened at Residential Schools and the ongoing, intergenerational trauma they caused. Art pieces like the Witness Blanket provide an opportunity for us to learn and further our journey of Truth and Reconciliation,” Asberg said in a statement to The Journal.
Having these stories shared and allowing Indigenous voices and history to reclaim spaces and institutions such as Queen’s University is of utmost importance to Acting Associate Director, Office of Indigenous Initiatives, Mika Henry. “While the history of Canada’s residential school system is a story of cultural genocide and colonialism, this art exhibit is highlighting more narratives—sharing stories from far and wide as an act of reclamation and resurgence”
The blanket invites each one of us to bear witness by not just looking backward at the past but showing by our actions something is true. “Art pieces like the Witness Blanket provide an opportunity for us to learn and further our journey of Truth and Reconciliation,” Asberg said in a statement to The Journal.
“My role as an artist is to bear witness. The pieces themselves are witnesses. The people giving us the pieces are witnesses, and, at some level, we are all—or we all should be—witnesses,” Newman (Hayalthkin’geme) said.
Tags
Art, Indigenous, Pride, resilience
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