Orange Shirt Day is drawing near, which means many Manitoba businesses are gearing up to commemorate the day — including a business in Winnipeg, whose owner comes from Scotland. He says he’s realized how important Truth and Reconciliation is since moving to Canada. “It’s not a choice,” explained Mark Turner, owner of the Amsterdam Tea Room.
“It’s just my responsibility to do that as a business owner and a human being.” “As a recent settler, like a white, European settler and a steward of a business that is on Treaty 1 territory, I feel like I could do more,” said Turner. “My staff also echoed that sentiment.
They were like, ‘We could do more. What can we do?” In his ongoing journey to learn about Canada’s history, Turner says he wanted to work in collaboration with people in the community, towards Truth and Reconciliation. He turned to friends for help.
“They gave me some good advice,” he explained. “It was during that period, we were doing some Instagram work and Christine’s pins popped up on our feed.” “Our collaboration, in my mind,” said Christine Brouzes, Métis artist and advocate.
“Is reconciliation coming to life.” Brouzes is a multidisciplinary artist, who has also done bead work — and through her handmade pins, is working to share the story of Indigenous people in Canada. “I love the idea that somebody is wearing a tiny Orange Shirt pin, and somebody else will say to them, what is that all about?” said Brouzes.
“It’s a comfortable way of asking a question and starting a conversation.” Brouzes says she wasn’t surprised when Turner reached out — but she was surprised at the lengths he wanted to go to engage with Indigenous history and Orange Shirt Day in a meaningful way. “My staff always have one of her pins on now,” said Turner.
“Especially in September, they wear their Orange Shirt pin and it gives them opportunity to have conversations with customers as well.” The pins, completely made out of solid polymer clay. Brouzes describes the process like cutting a sugar cookie log — molds the shape into a cylinder, cuts them up and bakes them.
“Pins were a wonderful evolution for me because I used to a lot of beading of medallions,” she explained. “Which also convey important messages but take a great amount of time, and I love to do that, but I wanted this message to spread.” “To spread a message through one or two medallions a month that I could bead, versus more pins,” she added.
“They’re a gender-inclusive item that anyone can wear on anything.” “Reconciliation means a lot of things to a lot of people,” said Brouzes. “That’s the beauty of this time of year.
” “Orange Shirt Day or Truth and Reconciliation day,” she added. “It gives us each time to reflect what it means to us.” For the fourth year in a row, Amsterdam Tea Room will be closing its doors on Sept.
30 to commemorate the day. “There is a responsibility to acknowledge and to be part of the reconciliation,” said Turner. “Just like with my story and Christine’s, Christine is the truth and what I’m doing is the best I can to recognize and be part of that reconciliation.
” Each pin, attached to a card that gives a little bit of information to why the pin is significant. In the case of her Orange Shirt Day pins, she makes it clear the symbol is to honour Residential School Survivors and those who didn’t make it home. “While we can’t change history,” said Turner.
“We can certainly acknowledge it.” “Talk about it and recognize what actually happened.”.
