We Are Still Here

In 2022 Ojibwe educator and visual artist, Mike Cywink, together with N’Amerind Friendship Centre, The City of London, and the London Arts Council, created an expansive and historically significant mural on the South side of the N’Amerind Friendship Centre. The artwork is called We Are Still Here, a title which Cywink and a group of local Residential School Survivors decided upon to honorably reflect, give voice to, and commemorate their resilience and lives. It was officially unveiled on September 30, 2022, during a ceremony to honour the lives of Residential School Survivors and children who were lost through the Residential School System.

Hailing from Whitefish River First Nation, Cywink has a longstanding and close relationship with N’Amerind’s community members, staff, and leaders. As a mentor, Cywink painted the mural with a group of Indigenous youths who sought to stimulate public conversation about the legacy of Canada’s Residential School System. Therefore, each of the seven (7) panels provide insights into the Seven Grandfather Teachings while telling the story of Canada’s Residential School Survivors, including the children who were lost through the system. However, We Are Still Here is also a story of hope, courage, new beginnings, and a celebration of Indigenous arts, culture, and knowledge.

Cywink acknowledged this sentiment when he said “The ones who walked before us fought to keep our ways of life going. They ensured our teachings; ceremonies and our spiritual connections would live on. Through every action, their thoughts were with us. As we move forward together, we must never forget what has happened. We have survivors who walk amongst us, we have children of survivors who are dealing with intergenerational trauma and trying their best to break the cycle of pain and hurt. No matter what we do, we must always think of the next group coming next. Whether it is the youth of today, the newborns or the ones who are coming 7 generations from now. We must always think of them in everything we do.”

Cywink designed and painted the mural in the Woodlands style, which builds on the Ojibwe traditions of petroglyphs (drawings or carvings on rocks) and images made on birchbark scrolls. Key features of this style are heavy black outlines and the inclusion of images within images. Another notable feature is the use of vibrant colour combinations.