HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, N.L. — Student artists and an Indigenous artist hope a new mural at the College of the North Atlantic Campus in Happy Valley-Goose Bay will raise awareness of the history of residential schools in Canada and the impact the government-funded, church0run schools had on Labrador’s Indigenous people.
The piece of art — titled “Flight of Resilience” — is the result of a reconciliation project and has also become the symbol of the residential schools healing and commemoration work and appeared on official documents, lapel pins, and the plaques, which commemorated the five residential schools.
“It represents the soul searching and healing process the three groups have experienced and gone through,” artist Lisa Learning stated of the NunatuKavut Community Council, the Nunatsiavut Government, and the Innu Nation in a news release.
“The raven is one of the most resilient birds in North America and in this logo represents resilience and determination that our people have had, and still have. It also shows how, regardless of what has happened, we have found a way to break free and move (fly) forward — both spiritually and physically, mind and spirit.”
The mural was painted by the students and funded by the Community Addictions Prevention and Mental Health promotion fund as a part of CNA’s campus wellness team initiative.
