2 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
SUPPLEMENT TO THE FREE PRESS • SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2026
RECONCILIATION AT THE CANADIAN MUSEUM FOR HUMAN RIGHTS A WITNESS TO HISTORY:
THE WITNESS BLANKET ON DISPLAY AT THE CANADIAN MUSEUM OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN 2024.
PHOTO BY AARON COHEN
BY GEORGIA WIEBE
E ssentially, we’re trying to bring knowledge to people in today’s everyday life. [There are] often things that people have never been taught about in the educa- tion system, but also for our newcomers and new families coming into Canada, because often they don’t come with the knowledge as well,” Dykstra says. For Dykstra, reconciliation is not an Indig- enous issue, but a human one that requires people to understand the history of residen- tial schools and the ongoing effects it has on Indigenous communities. “The fact is that as Canadians, we need to reconcile our relationships because we’re all cousins to each other. It doesn’t matter the colour of your skin, where you come from, humans are all cousins to each other because we all come from the same earth,” Dykstra says. CMHR’s exhibitions help educate visitors and keep them engaged as they learn about that history. This includes the Witness Blan- ket, a large-scale art installation created by Indigenous artist Carey Newman to recog- nize the harms caused during the residential school era, to honour the children impacted and to symbolize ongoing reconciliation. “The effects of those schools are very
Marilyn Dykstra, Knowledge Keeper at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR), says the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is an important part of helping people understand Canadian
much still alive today, whether [through] the people that are still alive that experi- enced them, but also the generations that come after them because of the multi-gen- erational trauma,” Dykstra says. The display contains 887 objects con- nected to residential schools, its survivors, churches, government offices and cultural centres across Canada. Objects range from small items such as an eagle feather or hinge to larger pieces, including a door visitors can walk through. Each item tells a story, often one that includes themes of loss, strength, resilience, and pride. The exhibit also includes sacred medicines such as sage, sweetgrass and tobacco on a cedar wood background. During its stay at CMHR, visitors have left tobacco tie offer- ings at the Witness Blanket, which Dyk- stra says will be offered to the ancestors through sacred fires held twice a year. Newman’s own family history is repre- sented in the piece as well, with two of his sister’s braids as a symbol of healing from their family and a piece of an apple tree from the residential school their father attended. “What it does is it gives people a visual to understand that, first of all, residential schools happened, because we now have
people that are trying to deny that resi- dential schools actually were even there, but also the level of harms that they did to communities,” Dykstra says. The CMHR has a shared responsibility agreement with Newman to care for the Witness Blanket, which Dykstra describes as a living being. For Dykstra, the Witness Blanket not only helps people talk about the past, but also serves as a doorway and path toward a new future. Dykstra says she hopes visitors will be encouraged to ask themselves what they can do to keep learning after September 30 and to keep an open mind without assum- ing they already understand Indigenous experiences. “Pity goes nowhere. I want them to take a look at that and say, ‘What can I learn?’ Where can I continue to learn?’ So that it’s not just an ‘I’m going to see it one time,’ [but] ‘What can I do to help advance recon- ciliation?’” Dykstra says. She encourages Canadians to connect with and learn from Indigenous communities, participate in reconciliation programming and support Indigenous businesses. “Learn about Indigenous people. Learn with them.”
history to reconcile our relationships for the future.
“Learn about Indigenous people. Learn with them.”
A CLOSE-UP OF A SECTION OF THE WITNESS BLANKET WITH BRAIDS.
- Marilyn Dykstra Knowledge Keeper, CMHR
VISITORS LOOKING AT THE WITNESS BLANKET WITH MARILYN DYKSTRA.
PHOTO BY ANNIE KIERANS
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