A project that’s been running for 20 years in Smithers was selected to receive a 2025 BC Reconciliation Award.
The award is given out by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, in partnership with BC Achievement Foundation and recognizes those who have demonstrated the essence of “putting truth before reconciliation”.
The Honouring Our Elders Portrait Legacy Project started in 2005 as a collaboration between Birdy Markert, Millie Gunanoot, Melanie Morin, and Perry Rath in partnership with School District 54 and Smithers Secondary School.
“We were totally stunned,” said Rath.
“When we got the message that a phone call was going to be coming from the Lieutenant Governor, we all had to be in the same room.”
The legacy project selects a living Wet’suwet’en and “settler” elder every two years to recognize as carriers of culture and contributors to the well-being of others.
They will then have a four by four foot portrait painted by a student each from the high school to be displayed outside its main entrance.
“The fact that we’ve been doing this project just as a way to bring people together in our own community before reconciliation was a buzz word or political term that was used, it emphasizes the power of the project,” said Rath.
He added work is underway for the next round of elders to be recognized with the hope to unveil the paintings in June.
The project will be recognized at a ceremony at Government House tomorrow (Thursday) night.
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