六九色堂

Nov. 6, 2023

Indigenous artwork important step in law school's reconciliation journey

'Balance' represents a journey through justice, the importance of fairness, and genuine respect for humanity
Colleen Chalifoux and Andrew Showalter pull a curtain off a new piece of Indigenous art
Second-year student Colleen Chalifoux, left, and Andrew Showalter unveil a new piece of Indigenous art at the law school. Chris Wedman
Balance painting

'Balance,' by Blood artist Kalum Teke Dan, represents a journey through justice, the importance of fairness, and genuine respect for humanity.

Justice, fairness, and a respect for humanity. Those are three values law schools hope to instil in law students. 罢丑别测鈥檙别 also three values represented in a new painting commissioned in partnership with the Indigenous Law Student鈥檚 Association, by Blood artist unveiled in a cultural parallel process in the Faculty of Law鈥檚 Bennett Jones Lecture Theatre on Oct. 24.

Featuring a mountain backdrop, a bald eagle, the scales of justice and a vibrant hummingbird, Balancerepresents a journey through justice, the importance of fairness, and genuine respect for humanity. According to Elder Casey Eagle Speaker, the hummingbird, while small, plays an important role in balancing the environment.

鈥淗uman beings have a responsibility like the hummingbird, to be in the moment and to create balance within ourselves, with other people, within systems, and the world,鈥 says Eagle Speaker.

Andrew Showalter, the law school鈥檚 co-ordinator of Indigenous initiatives and reconciliation, says the piece is an important step on the journey toward听reconciliation and Indigenization in the law school.

鈥淔ostering change within our faculty means ensuring that Indigenous students can see themselves within the law, and simultaneously fostering the opportunity for our broader community to acknowledge, recognize, learn, and deeply reflect on Indigenous Peoples and their distinct cultures,鈥 says听Showalter.

鈥淓mbracing Indigenous ways of connecting and ways of being is our responsibility as a faculty to advance reciprocity and create a shared space for further transformation.鈥澨