'Making money off of our trauma': London Indigenous artist says her orange shirt designs being stolen, sold
CBC
WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find distressing.
An Indigenous artist based in London, Ont., says her work is being stolen and sold online in a brazen move to turn Orange Shirt Day's spirit of reconciliation and healing into an opportunity to make a quick buck.
"They're not just stealing artists' work; they're actually appropriating culture," said Hawlii Pichette, a Mushkego Cree (Treaty 9) artist and illustrator. "They're making money off of our trauma."
Pichette's illustrations and digital art — which you can see here on her website Urban Iskwew — are vibrant and distinctive. The stylized designs carry messages of hope and empowerment for Indigenous people, taking their inspiration from traditional First Nations art while celebrating the land and animals.
Pichette designed an orange Every Child Matters shirt for the Atlohsa Family Healing Services, a London-based non-profit organization that provides community members with Indigenous-led programming and services of healing, shelter and support.
She's also designed colouring pages with an Every Child Matters theme. Those are offered as free downloads on her website. The colouring pages are often used as a teaching tool for children learning about the trauma Indigenous people suffered at residential schools.
Awareness of the abuse and suffering First Nations people endured at residential schools in Canada has been heightened following the detection this spring of the remains of more than 200 children buried on the grounds of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.
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