The new sculpture at Scarrow Plaza near the provincial courthouse in Prince Albert was formally dedicated by the city this week. Saulteaux artist Mary Longman said her sculpture is a call for reform. “Based on my experience and what I can see would protect, truly protect Indigenous children and make sure that there’s a family focus rather than an apprehension focus.” Her new piece in Prince Albert’s Scarrow Plaza, titled “Passage Home,” is a bronze sculpture of a travois. The travois was historically pulled by a dog or horse to transport belongings and could be used by families to carry small children. The child-size moccasins in the travois are sculpted with design references to different nations in Saskatchewan: Plains and Woodland Cree, Saulteaux, Sioux, Dene and Métis. The installation and surrounding healing park are dedicated to Indigenous children who died away from home either at residential schools, in the foster care system, because of the Sixties Scoop or due to abduction. The work is also for family and survivors. Longman herself was apprehended as a child and separated from family. “I worked for this family, basically doing their house cleaning and their laundry and looking after all the foster kids,” she said. “They’d even make me take jobs on the side so they [could] collect more money, make me deliver papers and fliers and babysit other people’s kids.” She wants discussion around “Passage Home” to motivate streamlining the adoption of Indigenous jurisdiction in child and family services in relation to Bill C-92 and establishing Indigenous-operated child and family service centres across Canada. “This actually would not only employ a lot of Indigenous people, having these centres within every city, every primary capital city, but they will alleviate the pressure on [the child and family services] system, which they have not been able to manage that well.” She hopes that “Passage Home” will motivate a response to the disproportionate number of Indigenous children in foster care. “I had to wait seven years before I got to adopt an Indigenous child,” said Longman. “There’s no reason why these children need to be in that care when there’s parents that are waiting to adopt them.” Data from the province of Saskatchewan shows about 85 per cent of children in care are Indigenous. While she continues to push for updates to the foster system, Longman hopes to see more support for Indigenous public art and art installations.
