New painting at U of S portrays historic injustices

Page 3

A new painting hangs in the College of Law moot court room on the University of Saskatchewan campus, and members of the college hope it will serve to remind those who enter the room of the injustices Aboriginal people have encountered in the past, and of the need to ensure those injustices do not continue.

The painting, Despair Not Our Children: Summer" is one of four paintings by artist Marina Crane of Tsuu T'ina First Nation near Calgary. The paintings depict the story of 38 Santee Sioux warriors hanged in Minnesota on Dec. 26, 1862.

The warriors were among 307 Santee Sioux condemned to death following a conflict that began as a result of settler encroachment on Sioux lands, which followed years of ignored treaties and broken promises. The cavalry was sent in to end the uprising, and 307 were arrested and sentenced to death. When President Abraham Lincoln decided those sentenced were too many to hang, he reduced the number to 38, who were then hung in the largest mass execution in the history of the United States. The Summer painting portrays the families of the hanged men, and their flight to a new home.

Many Santee Sioux left Minnesota and settled in Canada. Their descendents include members of the Whitecap/Dakota/Sioux First Nation, Wahpeton Dakota Nation, Wood Mountain Firast Nation, and Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation.

Acting dean of law Dan Ish said it is fitting that the university displays the painting because of the school's proud history of considering Aboriginal justice issues.

"It will serve as a reminder of injustices of the past and the need to work toward ensuring justice for all in the future," Ish said.

The painting was donated to the university of Madame Justice Marsha C. Erb, an alumni of the U of S who was presented with the painting by the chief and council of the Tsuu T'ina First Nation to commemorate her appointment to the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta in 2001. Prior to her appointment, Erb had served as general counsel to the First Nation. The three other paintings in the series, Spring, Autumn and Winter, remain with Tsuu T'ina First Nation.