Fredericton exhibit confronts crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls
Keskahahticik, or Lost Ones, exposes the pain of losing a loved one to violence
Keskahahticik, or Lost Ones, is a powerful testament to the pain of losing a loved one who has died or gone missing through violence.
Unveiled recently at the Fredericton Convention Centre, the exhibit features three elements: a statue, a painting and a film, dedicated to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls of Wabanaki territories.
"We wanted to hold [this project] in a very sacred and honourable way," said Samaqani Cocahq, also known as Natalie Sappier, one of two Wolastoqewi artists who worked on the Keskahahticik painting with Emma Hassencahl-Perley.
They spent approximately six months consulting three Indigenous families who lost loved ones before settling on an idea for the painting.
"I learned that trust is a really big factor in a project like this because the three mothers that came here with their families, they didn't have to trust us and they didn't have to share their stories with us," said Hassencahl-Perley, "but they did."
There were five artists in total who worked collaboratively on the exhibition. Natalie Sappier and Emma Hassencahl-Perley worked on the painting, Shane Perley-Dutcher and Justin Sappier created the statue, and Carr Sappier produced the film showcasing the creation process of the exhibition.
'Everyday feels like Day 1'
While the artists initially wanted to design a warm and welcoming art piece, they decided to transform the project into something more evocative after consulting the families.
"[The families] corrected the sketch and idea that we previously had and some advice the mothers had given us was, 'Don't shy away from the gore and violence because that's our reality. This is what we have to live with everyday and everyday feels like Day 1,'" said Hassencahl-Perley.
Throughout the process of having important conversations with the Indigenous families, the artists leaned on each other for support.
"I'm very thankful I was able to create this work with Emma … in the studio together, where we were able to cry if we needed to and work through those struggles."
Indigenous communities facing a crisis
Tatyannah Coté is the matriarchal governance project co-ordinator at Indigenous Women of the Wabanaki Territories, a non-profit group that represents Indigenous women, girls and LGBTQ people from Wabanaki and urban communities in New Brunswick.
She said Indigenous communities are facing a crisis.
"The number of missing and murdered Indigenous women has actually reached the point of genocide, so we wanted to create some type of piece that would be haunting," she said.
"The piece is not supposed to be beautiful. It is not supposed to be warm. It's supposed to really make people sit and think and share that pain with the families who have lost somebody."
The exhibition was funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada and is displayed on the first floor of the Fredericton Convention Centre in the downtown area, across from the St. John, or Wolastoq, River.
Lisa Perley-Dutcher, co-ordinator of the exhibit, said anyone is welcome to visit the display and reflect on the struggles Indigenous people continue to face.
"I want them to come see it, and sit and feel it, and know that these issues are still real for Indigenous people, that we still have brothers and sisters out there that are being denied their humanity … It's still happening."
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