Tyrece Saskatchewan-Soosay is a nehiyaw nâpêw (Cree man) from Nipisihkopahk in Maskwacis, Alberta. His culture is a part of his everyday life—he takes part in sweats, powwows, and drumming, and starts each morning by smudging, praying to the Creator, and giving thanks for the air he breathes and the ground beneath his feet.
While in the TEP (Transitions to Employment) Program at NorQuest’s Wetaskiwin Campus, Tyrece created the design for the Kanâcihiwak (kah-NAH-tsi-hi-wuk / they are pure) t-shirt. He’s worked on apparel before, including a hoodie design, but this was his first t-shirt. Known for his skill in leatherwork and print design, Tyrece brought his artistry—and his heart—to this project.
The shirt is about remembering and honouring “the children and the fallen children that never got home to their loved ones” because of the residential school system. That includes those who survived, those who never returned, and those buried in unmarked graves. For Tyrece, it’s also about honouring his kôhkom, who lived through that experience herself.
In the centre of the design, children are shown playing, with a single orange hand placed over them. In the first version, the hand was red, referencing the symbol for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) and the shared reality of lives and futures taken away. Tyrece later chose orange to connect it more directly to the legacy of residential schools, while still holding space for the grief and trauma that the red hand represents. To him, the orange hand is for every child lost to those institutions.
When people wear this shirt, Tyrece hopes they’ll take a moment to think about what children in residential schools went through—both the ones who made it home and the ones who didn’t. He wants it to be worn all year, not just on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, as a way of carrying that memory forward.
When we met with Tyrece, he sang a song as a tribute for everyone who has gone through, and continues to live with, the effects of residential schools. Looking ahead, he hopes to keep developing his art and creating designs. He encourages young Indigenous artists to reconnect with their culture—starting, he suggests, by seeking guidance from Elders.
Visit us at The Core to try on and purchase, or shop online. 100% of proceeds from t-shirt sales will go toward a TEP Scholarship at the Wetaskiwin Campus.
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