It’s also a landmass we’re very familiar with today – Turtle Island is the traditional Indigenous name for the North American continent.
That was the beginning premise of the Wakamow Aboriginal Community Association’s Blanket Exercise, which took place on Saturday afternoon in front of the Moose Jaw Public Library.
Part of the Saskatchewan Festival of Words and hosted by WACA chair and Festival board member Lori Deets, the exercise told the tale of European landing and take over of North America and the often ugly repercussions it had for Indigenous peoples.
That was represented by blankets – dozens of which were originally laid out in the shape of a turtle – gradually being taken away, folded and outright disappearing as the event went on. The representation was stark: each disappearing blanket meant land lost, culture lost, a people dying of disease or simply ceasing to exist. Eventually, participants found themselves standing on tiny folded squares as more and more blankets were removed and people around them disappeared.
Eventually, those tiny squares were allowed to become slightly larger, with just a corner folded out, as efforts began to apologize for the past and reconciliation began.
The exercise concluded with a debriefing in the park, as Deets answered questions about the meaning of the event and how efficiently it shows the sense of loss when it comes to First Nations in North America.
