“We are going to make mistakes and we are going to say things wrong,” Olsen said. “Look at those monuments, those are wrong. And so for us to be able to ask questions and learn from each other ... this is an important conversation'
Olsen says the problematic aspect of the 43 monuments is that they only tell part of the big and often complicated stories they represent.
For the monuments directly related to Indigenous history – such as those that tell only one side of a battle, where the U.S. Army prevailed over Indigenous people defending their homeland – Olsen agrees that addressing the “accuracy and inclusivity” is difficult without having candid and difficult conversations about 19th century history, what some would call “truth and reconciliation.
There are no firm plans as yet for how to address specific monuments – whether to add new interpretive plaques or signage alongside existing plaques; completely replace plaques; or remove entire monuments, plaque and all. “These narratives weren’t created in consultation with the tribal people of the land,” Olsen said. “Again, this comes from a settler narrative of the first schools, the first church, these civilized practices or, you know, ‘civilization began here.’”And, for those non-Indigenous people who sometimes worry about sounding ignorant or insensitive when it comes to talking with Indigenous people about local history, Olsen says that’s okay.
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