Native Council of P.E.I. honours elders in new gallery

To some, a new gallery at the Native Council of P.E.I. might appear to be just that: A gallery.

Black and white portraits hang on a wall, capturing the likeness of elders from the local Indigenous community.

But to many, these are so much more than photographs.

"I see resilience and I see strength, and we look to that when we look to our elders because they are the storytellers and the knowledge keepers," said Lisa Cooper, the chief and president of the Native Council.

"[Their faces] tell a story of us." 

The gallery was unveiled Friday afternoon, with funding through the P.E.I. Seniors' Secretariat. 

"Elders are getting older. We're losing elders through the years and we recognise that, and their stories are going with them," Cooper said. 

"This is a way to always honour and remember our elders." 

'I see pride'

Many members of the crowd clapped as the photos were unveiled. Soon after, people shared what the portraits mean to them in their own words.

"What a road we went through," said Mary Phillips. "We have crossed a number of bridges, and we're still alive." 

Kim Squires said she chose the regalia she's wearing in her portrait to honour her mother.

"I want to show her that she mattered," Squires told the room. "Everything I do is in her memory." 

Joyce Gallant looks at her picture, and smiles. 

"It's amazing," she said. "I look like my mom." 

To some, it was a reminder of where they came from — the history, the pride — and an acknowledgement of how resilient their community is.

"The responsibility for the youth is to take up the fight and never let it go, never bring us back to where we were," said Cooper.

Adele McGuire also has her portrait up in the wall. 

"What I see is a wall of elders telling their story, telling of what they went through, and I see pride in people's faces," she said.

'They've earned every wrinkle'

But the gallery is not done yet.

"We're going to add to it every year," said Native Council marketing coordinator Wayne MacDonald, who took the photos.

"I think we just got seven more today. So it's kind of an ever-growing process that will just keep evolving."

MacDonald said the Native Council might run out of wall space at some point. For now though, it's a moment to reflect, honour those portraits on the wall, and remember their stories. 

"They've earned every wrinkle. They've earned every dark spot," Cooper said. 

"I would say [they] carry them with pride, because they're here. They're still here today."