8 | TMX Reconciliation Action Plan About Wiigwaas In approaching Kathryn for this piece, TMX hoped to achieve a tribute to both its 170 year-plus history and the history of this land and its people. The origins of Canada as a nation are rooted in the historical trade between European nations and Indigenous tribes. The sculpture honours the historical trading relationships of Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island and renewed efforts to establish economic reconciliation between Indigenous and settler Canada. The work – formed of polished stainless steel and proudly on display in the entrance to the TMX Market Centre in downtown Toronto – is designed to engage multiple perspectives, from various viewing directions. Iron ore, one of Canada’s commodities, is brought into a new life, in a contemporary space, in the contemporary timeframe. The primary sculptural form of this work evokes birch bark, which is historically and culturally significant to Indigenous peoples and the origins of Canada and its trade relations. Indigenous peoples, particularly in the Great Lakes region, used birch to create scrolls for communications, and to make canoes, which were central to the establishment of European trade systems. The sculpture references the natural formation of the birch tree bark: after it has been harvested, birch holds its curvature. Like Canada’s history of trade and business, the bark is not in a straight line; rather, it tells a story of ups and downs in the relationship between Indigenous peoples and settler Canada. The curved sculpture represents the ongoing relations between Indigenous peoples and Canada. In the petroglyphs, a curved or circular shape denotes that something is ongoing, or will return. We chose to highlight the creation process for Wiigwaas throughout this Reconciliation Action Plan document as a thematic reminder of the connections between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous economies that we hope to foster through our commitments.
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