Description:
The legacy project is a permanent feature on Nathan Phillips Square and consists of a turtle sculpture called the Restoration of Identity and a lodge which will serve as a teaching, learning, sharing and healing space.
The six-foot (two-metre) tall turtle sculpture represents many First Nation creation stories as it embodies Turtle Island, also referred to as Mother Earth. The turtle stands on a three-foot (one-metre) tall boulder, which lists 17 residential schools that once operated in Ontario. Further project plans and a turtle sculpture replica were unveiled on Monday, July 29 during the IRSS Legacy Celebration.
The IRSS Legacy sculpture was developed in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, specifically, Call to Action 82. It calls upon provincial and territorial governments, in collaboration with survivors and their organizations, and other parties to the Settlement Agreement, to commission and install a publicly accessible, highly visible, residential schools monument in each capital city to honour survivors and all the children who were lost to their families and communities.
The Spirit Garden project has been selected as a 2025 North American Copper in Architecture Award winner. Copper was used throughout the project as it is highly valued in many Indigenous cultures for its significance in ceremonies, trade, and as a symbol of status. Muntz, a copper alloy, was chosen to honour the long history of copper use by the Indigenous Peoples of the Great Lakes area. Muntz is used to cover the Teaching Lodge and is also part of the Three Sisters installation, by Tuscarora artist Raymond Skye, that explores our relationship with traditional plants, the land, and the community, and our interactions with the earth.
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