Permanent, domestic-rate stamps are required for regular-sized letters, postcards, and cards weighing up to 30 grams (about 5 sheets of paper).
Please note: these stamps are sent in sets of 8. Order one item for 8 stamps.
This stamp issue is the first in a series showcasing the artistic visions of Inuit, Métis and First Nations artists for the future of truth and reconciliation.
The top left image was designed by Jackie Traverse, First Nation (Lake St. Martin, MB), Anishinaabe, Ojibwe. It represents seeds of change. It features a man and woman, the elders, their children and their grandchildren. The ubiquitous bunchberry is in the centre and represents Canada, with the roots from the seeds reaching to the past. This image emphasizes the need to share the sun, water and the land to enjoy a good harvest.
The top right image was designed by Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona, Inuit, Ukkusiksalingmiut, Qamani'tuaq (Baker Lake, NU). Gayle believes each group within Canada has a different responsibility for reconciliation. For indigenous people, the responsibility is to themselves and to others within their communities: learning or passing on our language and culture that was attacked. The image features a woman lighting a qulliq, the traditional Inuit stone lamp used for heat and light, to signify caretaking. She is carrying on in her culture as she has always done, taking care of herself and others and healing.
The bottom right image was designed by Kim Gullion Stewart, Métis, Athabasca, AB. Flowers in Métis art remind people to live in a symbiotic way with land, waterways, ecosystems and one another. Beaded flowers are placed on top of contour lines which represent the Rocky Mountains, twisty lines which represent rivers and dashes demarking political territories. “While maps like this one are a two-dimensional record of historical process and places, they are incomplete until they include elements that are important to the people who are indigenous on this continent.”
The bottom left image was designed by stamp designer Blair Thomson. It features a pair of bold hands held over eyes and a human face. The hands are cross-representative — belonging to the settler, masking their view of reality and shame, and to the Indigenous people/Survivors, covering their face in sadness, pain, memories. Tears stream from between the fingers. The background further connects to the school windows, looking out and dreaming of home. An Indigenous child looks out from behind the hands to reinforce the message that we must never look away again.