The Art and Limits of Social Reconciliation

This essay discusses the art and limits of social reconciliation in Canada, focusing on the works of prominent scholars. It explores the reasons for social reconciliation, the atrocities faced by the First Nations people, and the limitations of apologies and reconciliation efforts by the Canadian government.

Running head: THE ART AND LIMITS OF SOCIAL RECONCILIATION
THE ART AND LIMITS OF SOCIAL RECONCILIATION
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Introduction
Reconciliation in the context of the aftermath of any violent conflict is very difficult
considering the destroyed lives, separated communities and mass atrocity. Reconciliation refers
to the process of restoring the “shattered relationship between two actors”. When the word
‘social’ is added, the process no longer involves just an individual but an entire community or
group. In the context of Canada, these two actors are the Canadian government and the First
Nations people.
In this essay, the art and limits of social reconciliation shall be discussed using evidences
and instances from the Canadian political and social scenario. The essay will first identify
reasons for social reconciliation in Canada. Then, it will discuss the art and limits of social
reconciliation focusing specifically on the works of some prominent scholars.
Discussion
Social reconciliation in Canada was sought necessary due to the unfathomable atrocities
done on the First Nations, Inuit and Metis people especially during the previous decades. The
Indian Residential Schools particularly played a significant role in violating the basic rights of
the Aboriginal citizens. These residential schools were in existence until the late 20th century and
those who were forced to attend these schools have had to go undergo severe mental and
physical trauma. As documented in work of the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery titled
Witnesses: Art and Canada’s Indian Residential Schools, the residential school survivors had to
face mental and physical abuse. Geoffrey Carr, one of the main contributors of the work
interviewed Chief Robert Joseph, a residential school survivor about his past memories before
being sent to the residential school. Chief Joseph reminisces the horrific time he had at the

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school. He shared his experience stating that he was forcefully sent to the St. Michael’s Indian
Residential school at Alert Bay where he used to be beaten for not being able to reply in English,
made to stand for hours without being permission to even go to the toilet. The work also consists
of the art works of many residential school survivors who had to go through similar trauma.
In order to reconcile these atrocities and violence carried out on the Aboriginal people, a
long process of reconciliation and apology in Canada began. As Miller (2016) would argue, the
use of apology and reconciliation by the governments especially in Canada and the United States
have been mostly done as “well-publicized and ritualized events” than these have been done for
actual apology and reconciliation. The author further states that little attention has been paid in
the scholarly world to the way apology and reconciliation should occur in a proper manner. Most
of the researches have been based on political negotiations, international diplomacy, education
and the role this plays in reconciliation. The author further states that the researches on apologies
and reconciliation have been done largely from a “vantage point of those who are not the
newsmakers and largely without voice”. In Canada, the apologies and reconciliations began in
2006 when the Conservative government first provided official apology to the Chinese
Canadians who were compelled to pay head tax for immigrating to Canada during the late 19th
and early 20th century. the apologies for the damage done to the Canadian Aboriginal people by
taking their children away and forcing them to attend residential schools came in 1998 when the
then Indian Affairs and Northern Development Minister, Jane Stewart made a formal apology on
behalf of Canada. The Canadian government also funded a 350 million dollar for the individual
victims of the residential schools project but these reconciliations are mostly without “any real
sense of responsibility or meaning”.

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While focusing on the art of social reconciliation, the author mentions the ritual of Coast
Salish, an Aboriginal tribe where the concepts of wrongdoing and redemption are mentioned.
The author states that the governments of both Canada and the United States have failed to
reconcile or make reparations for the wrongdoings as they failed to understanding the Coast
Salish model of reconciliation. According to the Coast Salish logic, the white people could not
reconcile or apologize because” it does not change the nature of the wrongdoer” (Belkin.ubc.ca
2019). The author cites instances of the apologies and reconciliation events held in 2006 when
the higher officials of both the American and Canadian government attended the healing
ceremony held in Olympia where they officially apologized to the Aboriginal communities for
their suffering. However, the author provides the opinion of the Aboriginal people regarding the
apology and most of them found it to be meaningless although their reasons varied. The author
also took interviews of the staff at the Indian Residential School Resolution Canada and found
that hardly any staff even is aware about the Indigenous knowledge and forms. This presents
concerns about the limitations of social reconciliation. Apologies and reconciliation, states the
author, have been limited to political meanings only (Belkin.ubc.ca 2019).
Author Glen Coulthard further elaborates on the limitations of the social reconciliation
concerning the Indigenous people and the sufferings caused to them in America and Canada
(Coulthard 2014). In his work on the recognition of the First Nations people, the author
highlights the opinions of the Dene people of the Northwestern Territories. In the 2005 policy of
the Canadian government that led to the formation of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), the
recognition of the First Nations people and their relationship with Canada leading to the
“recognition and implementation of First Nations’ governments” was mentioned. Nonetheless,
the goal has not been realized as of yet and the reason for this is the lack or absence of intent of

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the governments. The author makes numerous theses regarding the situation of the Indigenous
community in Canada. One of the theses that the author forms is about the necessity of direct
action. The Canadian governments have mostly emphasized on negotiations through talks with
the Indigenous community leaders and these talks have not been substantial until today. Whether
it is about the Aboriginal land rights or other issues, direct action has not been taken, claims the
author. This presents an interesting viewpoint about the limits of apologies and reconciliation
that the Canadian governments have been doing. While the Aboriginal community are still being
mistreated and devoid of their rights, the government is busy making political stunts of
reconciliation without actually recognizing the involvement of the Indigenous community in
nation building.
One of the strongest steps taken in the path of social reconciliation has been the
formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. According to the TRC, ten
principles define the future of Canada as a flourishing nation in the 21st century. The first
principle is based on the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples
where reconciliation at “all levels and across all sectors of Canadian society” is sought (Trc.ca
2019). One of the most important principles is the support for cultural “revitalization and
integration of Indigenous knowledge systems, oral histories, laws, protocols and connections to
the land into the reconciliation process” as essential. As evident from the principle, it is
necessary that the reconciliation process include all forms of Indigenous elements that would
ensure that they are part of the larger Canadian society. However, it must be noted that only
mentioning such principles on paper and not implementing these in reality would only further
prove the shallowness of the reconciliation policies.

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Jonathan Dewar and Ayumi Goto talk about the role of artists and art in reconciliation.
Many groups of artists, scholars and curators have come together through the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission in Canada to voice their experiences through art. The authors touch
upon the long history of neglect of the Aboriginal community. One example of that was the 2009
speech of the then Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh
where he made the remark that “Canada has no history of colonialism”. Stating this, the Prime
Minister openly neglected the sufferings of the Aboriginal community. However, this was not
the first incidence that a Canadian Prime Minister spoke against the First Nations people. John
A. MacDonald, the first Prime Minister was probably the first person who indirectly laid the
foundation of the residential schools when he had stated in the Parliament once that the child of
an Aboriginal parent is a savage even if he learns to read and write. This is the reason why the
artists belonging to the First Nations people have mostly portrayed the shallowness of the
reconciliation and apology policy of the Canadian governments through their art.
Conclusion
To conclude, it could be stated that the Canadian nation is still a long way from realizing
the actual reconciliation that the Indigenous people need. The apologies and reconciliation that
have been attempted thus far have hardly yielded any result as the intent of the governments is
missing. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission that has been formed is probably the only
concrete step taken towards revitalizing and recognizing the First Nations as integral part of the
Canadian society. With the use of various forms of art, the Indigenous artists have tried to voice
their actual concern so that the real goal be achieved and true reconciliation be given.

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References:
Belkin.ubc.ca. 2019. "Witnesses: Art And Canada's Indian Residential Schools - Morris And
Helen Belkin Art Gallery". Morris And Helen Belkin Art Gallery.
https://belkin.ubc.ca/publications/witnesses-art-and-canadas-indian-residential-schools/.
Glen Coulthard, “Seeing Red: Reconciliation and Resentment”, Red Skin, White Masks:
Rejecting the Colonial Politics of Recognition (2014), 105-129
Miller, Bruce Granville. "Bringing culture in: Community responses to apology, reconciliation,
and reparations." American Indian culture and research journal 30, no. 4 (2006): 1-17.
Trc.ca. 2019. "What We Have Learned: Principles Of Truth And Reconciliation.". Trc.Ca.
http://www.trc.ca/assets/pdf/Principles%20of%20Truth%20and%20Reconciliation.pdf