All net proceeds from sales of the Truth and
Reconciliation Keepsake are being donated to the
Na-mi-quai-ni-mak Community Support Fund, established by the
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Nearly
$140,000 raised to date.
OTTAWA,
ON, Sept. 26, 2023 /CNW/ - As National
Truth and Reconciliation Day approaches, the Royal Canadian Mint is
reminding people living across Canada that the Truth and Reconciliation
Keepsake, a wearable acknowledgement of the truths behind the
residential school experience on First Nations, Inuit and Métis
children and their families, remains available for purchase until
December 2024. Honouring the
Survivors and the children who never returned home, the Truth and
Reconciliation Keepsake raises awareness about the
intergenerational impacts of Residential, Day and Boarding schools.
It invites reflection and conversation about the impacts of those
institutions and the conditions that created them. All net proceeds
from the sale of each keepsake will be donated to the
Na-mi-quai-ni-mak Community Support Fund, to support important
commemoration and public education projects across Canada.
"We are delighted that sales of the Keepsake coin will be
extended for another year as its production will continue to
support the healing journeys of Indigenous communities," said
Stephanie Scott, Executive Director
for the NCTR. "Na-mi-quai-ni-mak means I remember them in
Anishinaabemowin, and Survivor-led activities, such as community
ceremonies and feasts, commemorative gardens and plaques, ensures
that the memories and experiences of those impacted by residential
schools will live on."
"The Truth and Reconciliation Keepsake helps us acknowledge the
truth of the Indigenous children who never returned from
Residential, Day and Boarding schools," said Royal Canadian Mint
President and CEO, Marie Lemay. "It
means a great deal to us that we could participate in
reconciliation by making a keepsake that raises valuable funds for
the commemoration efforts of the Na-mi-quai-ni-mak Community
Support Fund and helps encourage others to engage in
reconciliation."
Both sides of the keepsake feature richly symbolic imagery,
reflective of First Nations, Inuit and Métis teachings and
traditional art forms. Its design is the result of a unique
collaboration between artists Leticia
Spence (First Nations), Jason Sikoak (Inuit), JD Hawk
(Métis) and the NCTR's Survivors Circle to weave a thoughtful and
compelling story of the Residential School experience for
Indigenous communities across Canada.
On one side of the keepsake, the three artists created a
collection of visual elements that form an expression of Indigenous
cultures and perspectives. First Nations
rights, culture and teachings are represented by the natural
element of the sun and traditional teepee lodgings; a
tikanagan (cradle board) held and supported by two people,
as a symbol of connection and traditional family support across
generations, this is also supported by symbols of water, and a
stylized fireweed flower; and to the left, a triangular motif
inspired by parfleche (a rawhide carrying bag) designs. The
Inuit perspective is represented by traditional tattoo line
work that was taken away by colonialists and is now coming back as
a sign of pride; the northern lights that symbolize Inuit Nunangat
and reflect the beauty of the North; a brother and sister—a
representation of those who were sent to residential schools—facing
the challenge that lies before them; and to the left, an ulu
which is a traditional curved knife that is used in the North. The
Métis Nation is represented by the Métis sash that signifies
connection—to nature, to the past, to each other; a beadwork flower
representing resilience amid thorns that signify pain and
suffering; the bison, a symbol of strength and determination,
bravely facing east to confront the approaching colonizers; and to
the left, the infinity symbol that represents the joining of two
cultures, First Nations and European, and their permanent existence
as a people.
The other side bears messages of powerful significance: "EVERY
CHILD MATTERS" is prominently inscribed in English and French. To
the left and right, pairs of footprints, represent ancestors
walking with younger generations. At the centre of it all,
orange-coloured hand prints form the shape of the sun—the
life-giving source of light and heat. Within the hands is the flame
motif from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation logo,
an acknowledgement of the spiritual flame that is born inside a
person, while the hands are encircled by a border representing the
radiating waves of the sun's light and heat.
By ordering Truth and Reconciliation Keepsakes for their family,
friends, or colleagues, people living across Canada can humbly wear it as a way to signal
that they stand with Survivors and remember the children who never
returned. It symbolizes their commitment and willingness to both
learning the truth, and carrying out acts of reconciliation. All
net proceeds from the sale of the Truth and Reconciliation Keepsake
will support the work of Na-mi-quai-ni-mak Community Support Fund,
established by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
This community fund assists Survivors and their communities carry
out healing and commemoration activities.
Images of the Truth and Reconciliation Keepsake can be found
here.
The Truth and Reconciliation Keepsake can be ordered directly
from the Mint at 1-800-267-1871 in Canada, 1-800-268-6468 in the US, on the
Mint's web site at www.mint.ca, and at the Mint's Ottawa and Winnipeg boutiques. It is also available at
participating Canada Post locations.
About the Royal Canadian
Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint is the Crown corporation responsible for
the minting and distribution of Canada's circulation coins. The Mint is one of
the largest and most versatile mints in the world, producing
award-winning collector coins, market-leading bullion products, as
well as Canada's prestigious
military and civilian honours. As an established London and COMEX Good Delivery refiner, the
Mint also offers a full spectrum of best-in-class gold and silver
refining services.
As an organization that strives to take better care of the
environment, to cultivate safe and inclusive workplaces and to make
a positive impact on the communities where it operates, the Mint
integrates environmental, social and governance practices in every
aspect of its operations.
For more information on the Mint, its products and services,
visit www.mint.ca. Follow the Mint on LinkedIn, Facebook and
Instagram.
About the National Centre for
Truth and Reconciliation
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR), hosted
by the University of Manitoba, was
created to preserve the memory of Canada's residential school system and legacy,
not just for a few years, but forever. It is the responsibility of
the NCTR to steward and share the truths of Survivors' experiences
in a respectful way and to work with Indigenous and non-Indigenous
educators, researchers, communities, decision-makers and the
general public to support the ongoing work of truth, reconciliation
and healing across Canada and
beyond.
SOURCE Royal Canadian Mint