Memorial of Nathaniel Bear goes missing in Saskatoon | 24CA News
Family and mates of Nathaniel Bear are looking for solutions after a memorial was eliminated with out a hint.
Bear handed away in February, and a memorial had been positioned by his household alongside the South Saskatchewan River.
But now, the memorial is lacking, one thing his household mentioned took them without warning.
“It shocked us,” Nathaniel’s sister-in-law Casey Desjarlais mentioned. “We packed our car the same day an hour after hearing the news and we left from Vancouver and made the 25-hour trip here.”
This weekend, the household gathered to honour Nathaniel’s reminiscence and rebuild his memorial.
His brother Dakota Bear, mentioned Nathaniel was remembered as having a optimistic affect on others, and why he mentioned the brand new memorial will proceed to be welcome to anybody.
“We’re here to amplify our voices and make sure that we’re heard and make sure that Nathaniel’s honour and his memorial is here to stay,” Bear mentioned. “(We will) continue to have and build these spaces that are healing for the people in our community.”
An image of the brand new memorial the Bear household constructed after the primary one went lacking.
Courtesy of Dakota Bear
The Bear household have been left questioning why the positioning was taken down within the first place.
Dakota mentioned the realm was clear and had no indicators of vandalism. He and his household have tried to succeed in out to the mayor’s workplace however haven’t gotten a transparent response.
“We have letters and emails and tags on social media and all of this attention on the city to try and get some answers and all I get is a small response in the comment section saying, ‘it wasn’t us’,” Bear mentioned.
Global News reached out to the City of Saskatoon for remark, which mentioned it had no involvement within the memorial going lacking.
Nathaniel Bear’s household stands beside a brand new memorial.
Courtesy of Dakota Bear
In an announcement to Global News, the Meewasin Valley Authority mentioned nobody from the Meewasin staff eliminated the memorial.
“Meewasin was saddened to hear of the removal of Nathaniel Bear’s memorial near the river,” the assertion learn.
“Our staff have spoken directly with Dakota about this and expressed our condolences. Meewasin has also been in early discussions with many partners about how to create a permanent outdoor cultural and ceremony space.”
Desjarlais mentioned no matter the place the memorial went or what occurred to it, a brand new website will probably be constructed and stored as a spot to heal.
“Nathaniel’s legacy and his life will live on. It impacted so many people and we won’t allow it to be disrespected or taken down, that this is a place for healing for so many people, and that’s where it’s going to be,” Desjardins mentioned.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
