“Assimilation vs. Inclusivity”
This image represents indigenous children being taken to residential schools and losing their culture, identity, and pride. This image shows how they lost their culture by demonstrating the bright colours that start from the right side of the children and then as it goes down, the colours get sadder and depressing and their facial expressions change. The children on the right side are smiling and the children on the left have somber expressions. Some children on the right look over to the other children as if they notice that they are gone or maybe wondering why they look so different now. Some of the children also have their headpieces, braids and they wear colourful clothes which all represent their culture. The other children, however, have their braids cut, wearing plain grey clothes and their skin colour is gone. This represents them being forced out of their culture and them being whitewashed by the residential schools. The residential schools also did cut their hair and put them in uniforms that resemble the clothes they are wearing in the image. Some of the children on the left are sadly looking down. This could mean that they are too frightened to do anything about what the schools are doing to them. The other children are holding their heads up confidently without fear. This demonstrates that they were much happier and free of fear before they were forced to go to residential schools.
