Sisters in Spirit honours MMIWG

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This article was published 05/10/2022 (1232 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rose petals and tobacco set sail on the sunlit waters of the Assiniboine River in remembrance of missing Indigenous people late Tuesday afternoon, during the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Coming just four days after the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Friday, participants of the Sisters in Spirit walk gathered at Stanley Park in downtown Brandon. After a prayer and an opening water song, a large group of people, clad in blue shirts commemorating missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG), made their way down the First Street bridge to Dinsdale Park and the banks of the Assiniboine River.

There, Elder Frank Tacan said a prayer and released the petals and tobacco to the gentle waves, with each rose petal representing a missing or murdered Indigenous woman, girl or two-spirited person.

The issue of MMIWG is one that’s still very much alive in Canada today, Tacan said.

According to the research and statistics division of the federal government, Indigenous women represent 10 per cent of the total population of missing women in Canada. In 2014, the rate of homicide of Indigenous women was almost six times higher than non-Indigenous women.

“People around this world have got to wake up — not just Indigenous people, but every culture and race here on Turtle Island,” Tacan said.

This means learning the “true history” of Canada, he said, and the message the Indigenous community has for men — a message that stresses the importance of respect for women, the life-bringers of the world.

“These [Indigenous] teachings are so important,” Tacan said. “Leave your European teachings over there. This is Canada. Start talking to Indigenous people about how we treat women and girls, nieces and granddaughters … we treat them with respect.”

Violence against Indigenous women, in many cases, is done by their close relatives or community members, said Marshall Morrisseau, a national ambassador for We Matter, a mentorship program supporting Indigenous youth to connect and make changes in their community. Half of the homicides of Indigenous women were committed by a family member, according to Statistics Canada.

It’s important for Indigenous men to show up to events like Tuesday afternoon’s walk to take back their traditional roles, Morrisseau said.

“We’re the original protectors of the community, and we have to hold other men accountable in our communities, with our friends, our families, our relatives,” he said.

Nearly everyone at the event had a loved one that is missing or was murdered, said Debbie Huntinghawk, a program co-ordinator at the Brandon Friendship Centre.

“We just want to make sure that we don’t stop looking, that we’re here for justice for the women that have been murdered.”

Both Huntinghawk and Tacan would like to see government do more about the problem of MMIWG, including tougher laws.

“We want the people that have the power to pay attention. They’re the ones that should be helping us,” Huntinghawk said. “We need boots on the ground. Let’s do stuff. Let’s do something.”

The Sun contacted the provincial and federal governments for comment but didn’t receive a response by press time.

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