Students at the University of Saskatchewan may have noticed a new painted mural while walking through the tunnels between classes recently.
The mural, which is in the tunnel connecting the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Students’ Centre to the Health Sciences Building, is the work of Indigenous artists Christi Belcourt and Isaac Murdoch.
It has been painted at the request of the university as part of an ongoing process to Indigenize spaces on campus.
Admittedly, Belcourt says this process is not necessarily an easy one.
“In terms of the Indigenization of spaces, I think it’s generally a huge uphill battle to try to Indigenize spaces that are typically not Indigenous,” she says.
The focus of the mural is water protection.
“All around the globe we’re facing a crisis with water, we’re facing terrible times ahead with climate change and global warming,” Belcourt says. “And we know that our people, as Indigenous people, we are water protectors and we are standing up for the earth.”
The university released its seven-year strategic plan last week with a focus on reconciliation and decolonization.
(PHOTO: Artist Christi Belcourt works on a new mural at the University of Saskatchewan. Photo by Fraser Needham)