Aboriginal Arts students create Truth & Reconciliation piece at Portage’s St. Paul campus

Portage College students in the Aboriginal Arts program proudly unveiled a new piece that touches upon truth and reconciliation.

The “Seven Sacred Teachings of Turtle Island” is now displayed at Portage’s St. Paul campus after the ceremony on April 23.

Tralynn Ganter, a second year student in the program, said she leaned on fellow classmate Lester St. Arnault to learn about Turtle Island. Along with Lana Gal, Bertha Dewolf-Auger, Bernadette Laboucan and Sarah Fedoruk — who each contributed their own identity to the project — the important piece will now have a prominent place on the wall at Portage.

“He gave us the teachings of Turtle Island. The creation story how us as women, we are so connected to Turtle Island. The teachings that come along with that,” she said. 

“Those were fundamentals. And taking it back to truth and reconciliation is learning those basic beginning steps before moving on, right? Because how do you make a cake without your first ingredients.” 

Created in partnership with Canadian Natural, the project was commissioned by Portage College Community Relations.

This is part of Portage’s “Project of Heart” that focuses on Indigenous ways of knowing. This unveiling is the first of many more to come across Portage campuses.

“We were really excited about today,” said Rick Flumian, manager, Community Relations. “I’m glad to see this piece that’s going to be a legacy of culture and everything in this campus, and I look forward to the other unveilings we’re going to have shortly.

“We really could not do this project with our community without our community partner, Canadian Natural and Ian Thompson. They’ve been so supportive.” 

For Ganter, working on this project made her think of her own family.

“The project means a lot to me. And it’s hard not to get emotional thinking about it, because you go your entire life looking for something — and then to receive it. It’s very humbling and wholesome.”