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Iconographic Meaning

The central figure is Native elder, Mary Johnson upon hearing the outcome of the Gitksan/Wet'suet'en land question trial March 8th, 1991. The tree of life is representative of the territory and the resources that comprise the land question. Coppers are a traditional symbol of wealth; in a dispute a chief may break a copper, removing a piece and presenting it to his adversary. There are four broken coppers to represent the legal dispute, and four whole coppers to represent the unresolved land question. The four white ravens depict the ever changing trickster. These represent the Canadian legal system and this ruling.

Description

Central image is of an elderly woman with her left hand to her mouth. She is wearing a red upper garment. The background is blue and black. The border has four coppers along the top and the bottom, of which the two ends of each are missing an upper side fragment, a green abstract tree-like shape along each side, and a white bird with outstretched wings at each corner. This in turn, is bordered by a red, green, and black geometric pattern. The background is grey. Pencil inscription along the bottom edge reads 'Trial of Tears 37/129 D. Neel 91'. The print is on a vertically rectangular, white paper piece.

Narrative

The central image of Mary Johnson was initially a front page photograph from the Vancouver Sun by Steven Bosch. According to the artist's statement, the "Trial of Tears" depicts the precedent setting legal action of the Gitksan/Wet'suet'en people, and the government of Canada. At a cost of $2.5 million, and taking over three years, this case sought to resolve the long outstanding 'land question'. This important Canadian ruling laid to waste any hopes of a 'reasonable compromise', and is not expected to be "the last word on this case". Amid a growing national awareness of the need to deal with Native issues, this ruling has left the land question and Aboriginal rights in the same nebulous state. The decision "reflects a colonial view of society toward Aboriginal people", and fails "to redress past injustices and heal historical wounds", as statements by religious leaders throughout Canada. Important across Canada, this debate is of particular interest in B.C. where the majority of land does not come under a treaty or legal agreement. After 9,200 exhibits, tens of thousands of pages of trial documents, and at great expense to both parties the land question appears no closer to resolution.