In photos: A moving monument

Jordan Bennett and Bev Findlay, administrative assistant with the Faculty of Native Studies, share a final high-five for a portage well done!

Brendan Hokowhitu, dean of the Faculty of Native Studies (left), and Jordan Bennett, the U of A's indigenous artist-in-residence, heft the 11-foot birchbark canoe down the stairway in Lister Hall.

Drummers set the pace as Jordan Bennett helps carry the canoe across campus.

The procession crosses 87th Avenue on its way to Pembina Hall.

Almost there: The group gets attention as it cuts through the Students' Union Building en route to Pembina Hall.

The portage procession arrives at Pembina Hall, home of the U of A's Faculty of Native Studies, one of the university's oldest historical buildings and a perfect place for a memorial poised between the past and the future.

Jordan Bennett checks the base of the canoe before setting it down. Bennett crafted the epoxy base, then engraved it with the names of the residential schools and the names of 40 Alberta schools whose students decorated the colourful tiles that adorn the canoe and paddle.

The birchbark canoe comes to rest in the main foyer of Pembina Hall, where it will later be suspended from the ceiling as a prominent and powerful symbol of the courage and resiliency of Canada's residential school survivors.

With their journey over, the group steps back to admire the memorial artwork in its new surroundings.