Wow, what a capture. The light is warm and haunting, the way it brings out the texture in the dress is really amazing. Then the rainbow in the background. Amazing how the photo can be art and documentary at the same time. Thanks for sharing.
Yeah, its an incredible image.
And even more haunting when you realize this is about the Kamloops Indian Residential School for indigenous children and the dreadful things that happened there.
While the last residential school closed in 1997, I recall from a Truth and Reconciliation information session that the last non-residential school closed more recently, so younger folks have been directly affected by the system too.
It is a shame that it has taken so long for T&R to become a thing. Perhaps my education was different, but I was taught the horrors of the schools when I was young and had interactions with indigenous people.
Here’s an article that contains more details about the photo and the photographer:
The whole residential school situation was horrible, and its effects are still being felt by indigenous people today. As a kid, I grew up within a mile of one of these schools with no idea of the horrors happening inside. We were told it was a “reform school for juvenile delinquents.”