Gambo students hope to educate others about Truth and Reconciliation through new art exhibit 

A student art exhibit in Gambo, N.L. is honouring the life and legacy of a Mi'kmaw police officer, one year after his death.

Patrick Gehue always advocated for Indigenous rights, said his wife Colleen Fox.

"He never hid his story. It was never dramatized," Fox told CBC News. "It was all of the good and the bad that prevailed from Indigenous life when you're on a reserve, and then to amalgamate."

Gehue, a member of Sipekne'katik First Nation, was the first from his reserve to become a regular member of the RCMP. He moved to Twillingate after finishing basic training. 

Fox said Gehue closely followed the Indigenous belief that people matter, and she wanted to celebrate his life by creating a project that would educate others about the issues faced by Indigenous people.

That led her to reach out to Mi'sel Joe, former chief of Miawpukek First Nation. Joe suggested Fox also contact Jo-Anne Broders, a teacher at Smallwood Academy.

Fox said they quickly came up with the idea of the student art project — called Patty Boy's Project — focused on Truth and Reconciliation and the 94 calls to action. 

"I said perfect. That's a perfect match, it will keep it local, it will keep in Indigenous," said Fox. "Pat would have been so proud of that."  

Joe had known Gehue since 1988. Gehue had gone to Conne River as part of a police squad with a dozen other officers. He said Gehue was the only police officer to call him by his chief name in Mi'kmaw, Saqamaw. 

Joe said he's proud of the students for the work they've done. 

"It's young people, like at the Smallwood Academy, that are going to be future leaders of this country and this land," said Joe. "If they already know what the TRC is all about … then it makes an incredible difference going forward." 

Student Leah Hunt created a canvas showing her interpretation of the 13th call to action, which calls for acknowledgement that Aboriginal rights include Aboriginal language rights. The painting is of a girl whose long braided hair is being cut.  

"This signifies that they were cutting off her culture, and I had words from Mi'kmaq and Inuit culture in the braids so it shows they were also cutting off her language," Hunt said.

"I know that to spread more awareness, and the importance of understanding the past, it'll truly make our futures brighter, and I hope that every school in Canada can teach this."

Student Joseph Bennett created a piece based on his interpretation of the 50th call to action, which calls for equity for Aboriginal people in the legal system. The painting is of the scales of justice, said Bennett, with the Canadian and Mi'kmaw flags on either side. He said he was inspired by the CBC documentary Forgotten Warriors about Conne River's fight for recognition. 

"It took men having to starve themselves in a hunger strike to push that legal front. That doesn't show much equality in the legal system," said Bennett. 

Bennett said he thinks students need to be taught more than just facts in order to really understand Indigenous affairs. They need to be shown real life experiences and get involved in educational projects, he said.

Both Fox and Joe said they would love for the exhibit to be shown in schools across the province.

Fox said the artwork from the project is being made into a textbook that could go out to schools across the country.

She said there was a discussion about the exhibit possibly going to Government House in September for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. 

"I'm really hoping The Rooms will pick it up, the Confederation Building will hold it," she said. "I'd love to see the exhibit travel more."

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