The Vedder Road roundabout artwork is casting an orange glow for September to honour residential school survivors, their families, and the children who never came home.
The special orange lighting is leading up to Orange Shirt Day on Sept. 30, which was declared a federal statutory holiday this year as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It also dovetails with city council’s commitment to the truth and reconciliation efforts.
“Council has prioritized relationship-building with our Indigenous neighbours,” said Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove. “We will continue to work with local Indigenous leaders to best determine how we can support their efforts and find opportunities to learn and highlight the First Nation roots of the community.”
It was Peggy Janicki’s suggestion to have orange lighting illuminate the roundabout this month, according Squiala Chief David Jimmie.
“Finding meaningful ways to work with one another has to start somewhere and we’ve witnessed that start in Chilliwack,” said Chief Jimmie, president of Sto:lō Nation. “Chilliwack’s mayor and council have been open-minded to have these discussions, which is great in our journey forward together.”
There’s still more work to be done, but it’s a worthy effort.
“Thank you to Peggy Janicki for her suggestion in having the orange lights illuminating the roundabout art in honour and recognition of the residential school survivors and their families,” Jimmie said.
Chilliwack City Hall will be closed for the stat holiday on Sept. 30. But the day has not been declared a statutory holiday in B.C.
Nonetheless it provides an opportunity for public commemoration of the history and lasting impact of residential schools and is an important component of the reconciliation process included in the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada.
There’s a strong emphasis on sacred salmon and local waters in the artwork installed in the centre button of the roundabout near the Vedder River.
The artwork, funded by the City of Chilliwack through its Vedder Bridge construction project, celebrates the history of the Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe and Sto:lō Nation with its central image of a dugout-style canoe supported by canoe paddles. It was designed by Chief Jimmie, and Coast Salish artist Bonny Graham, and in consultation with the Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe and the Sto:lō Nation Chiefs’ Council.
“With this particular art piece I was really hoping to demonstrate that strong connection to water,” Jimmie said, when the design was first unveiled in 2017. The canoe that sits atop the steel ring is a replica of the pre-contact style dugout canoe that was essential to Coast Salish and Sto:lō communities for transportation and trade.
The steel ring portion of the piece was titled ‘United’ by Graham, with the embossed words Ey kwesé é mi in Halq’eméylem or “It’s good that you are here – welcome.” The words are in a special font developed by Graham, inspired by Coast Salish design. The title “United” was chosen to underline the unifying effect of the project, and the steel ring, on the people and communities, celebrating the abundant waters of Sto:lō territory and the iconic salmon.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was created originally as an observance in 2013 to mark the residential school experience of Phyllis Webstad, who had her orange shirt confiscated on his first day of school by the nuns. The day is meant to educate people and promote awareness in Canada about the Indian residential school system.
It became a stat holiday in 2021 in the wake of recovery of more 1,000 unmarked graves near former residential school sites, in a year where many Canadians opted to wear orange to mark Canada Day.