Donna and Russell Mirasty spoke to students at Carlton High School several days ago. (submitted photo)

By Susan McNeil

Teepee artwork

Northern students present Lt. Gov. with special teepee art

Jun 7, 2024 | 6:01 PM

A special piece of art created by students at Carlton High School in Prince Albert will make its way to Government House in Regina in time for National Indigenous People’s Day.

The artwork is a teepee liner that represents the Indigenous people of northern Saskatchewan and will be combined with a southern counterpart to make a whole unit.

Carlton students Isabella Peters (Grade 10) and Rachel Gibson (Grade 11) were both left with strongly positive impressions after meeting with the Mirasty’s at Carlton on Wednesday.

“Actually I quite enjoyed the questioning and whatnot. His wife was such a sweet lady. She was so quiet. She was quiet, but she was very professional about it in a way. I really liked seeing their relationship just because of how they worked together, right? So it was very nice to see them be so helpful with each other,” said Isabella.

The Mirasty’s were the final round of a unique series of speakers that were invited to the school every month to help improve connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.

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Some of the participating students are given the chance to interview each guest in front of an audience of other students.

Isabella said that it was a good message for students to see Indigenous leaders in positions of power.

“I think having people with such a high power who are indigenous, especially in such a big school, can potentially help support the breakdown those types of stereotypes that we see a lot every single day in Carlton,” she said.

Negative stereotypes persist and breaking them down is one of the goals of the speaker series.

Rachel agreed that stereotypes have continued and she shared Isabella’s feeling that the Mirastys are a strong couple and that while both husband and wife are Indigenous, their own viewpoints are expanded well beyond their own backgrounds.

“What really impressed me is how united they were and how open they were to everything like they showed Indigenous perspectives and every other perspective as well. And it was really nice that they were so connected to everyone there. Even though they were Indigenous, they had all the perspectives of everyone there,” said Rachel.

Along with Rachel and Isabella, fellow students Luka Luka, Bobbi Mike, Karissa Manseau, Akiara Levesque and Ayla Johson were all involved in the creation of the liner as was teacher Jenn Brown.

A second presentation of the liner to the government is supposed to happen on September 20 and include local elder Liz Settee. How exactly that will work with the beginning of sanctions next week is still up in the air, however.

Settee supported the students as they created and decorate the liner that is meant to protect the teepee that has been erected at Government House under Mirasty’s tenure.

“Our teepee lining was supposed to reflect the way of life of Indigenous peoples past and present,” said Rachel. “We have the river systems and the sky, representing all the river tributaries. And the relations between the people, how they’re similar from the past and the present.”

Carlton students and the Mirasty’s along with the teepee liner that will make its way to Government House next week. (submitted photo)

They also used a lot of Indigenous symbols, such as a medicine wheel and the red hand print that represents Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls.

At the same time Carlton students were creating a northern Indigenous message on their part of the liner, southern students have done the same thing for the other half.

Locals wanting to see art connected to the project can go to Regina to see the actual liner in the future, but they can also see some representations closer to home.

The students created a series of works that will be displayed in the Mann Art Gallery and some will be at the John M. Cuelenaere library.

Both Isabella and Rachel said they were honoured to be part of the project and Brown’s vision for it when she started it.

The speaker project has expanded beyond its original scope. Indigenous and non-Indigenous locals have spoken to students about their lives and their careers.

The series has been highly successful and will begin again next year

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com