“Thou Shalt Not Tell Lies.” Cree students attending the Anglican-run Lac la Ronge Mission School in La Ronge, Saskatchewan, 1949. Photographer: Bud Glunz. National Film Board of Canada, Library and Archives Canada, PA-134110.

Archives of Manitoba Boundary Commission 164(N14100)/ Sharon Foley Metis ("Metis Traders, 1872-74")

Métis family in the Auvergne district, ca 1908 Saskatchewan Archives Board R-A19719

Mollie Dickson [daughter of Louise and T.A. Dickson] a little half-breed girl in the school. Summer cholera struck the school in 1907 - children, eight of them were very ill. Mollie died and was buried near Bishop Bompass. A rustic fence around, silver plate with her name on a rustic cross. Yukon Archives, Anglican Church, Diocese of Yukon Fonds, 86/61, #591.

Mohawk Institute, Brantford, Ontario Anglican Church of Canada, General Synod Archives

A group of students from St. Mary’s Indian Residential School in Kenora, Ontario. Nishnawbe Aski Nation Collection, St. Mary’s IRS series. Photo courtesy of the Shingwauk Archives. 2011-062-001(37).

This Is How We Survived, 2001 Acrylic on Canvas 24" x 48" In this painting, like most of my floral paintings, the flowers and plants represent people. In this case the plants are an entire community having just survived a trauma, represented by the blackened plants that have been charred as if by fire. However, the plants did not completely die in the fire. The blue and white centers of the flowers along with the red dots within the stems of the plants, assert that there is life and hope still within the plants. The “fire” the plants survived through is the series of trauma and assaults on Aboriginal culture and languages. How we survived is represented by the connection between the plants - we helped each other. Each community had to pull together as one in order to survive. The white and yellow outlines that border the black stems of the flowers symbolize the spirit realm. These ‘spirit lines’ surround the community and act as a positive force - an energy that encourages our people