Walking the path together: Community gathers to honour missing and murdered Indigenous people

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This article was published 05/05/2022 (1593 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Around 100 people gathered in Princess Park Thursday afternoon for one shared purpose: to honour missing and murdered Indigenous people in Canada.

The special ceremony aligned with Red Dress Day, a date to recognize and raise awareness around the national crisis.

The Brandon group called on Canada to take greater action to address the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG) and honour the memories of those who have been lost.

“I have daughters and I’m an Indigenous woman myself, so this cause really matters to me, it’s close to my heart,” said Julia Stoneman, a Misipawistik Cree Nation member who attended the gathering with her two daughters.

Stoneman exposed her daughters to the crisis from an early age to teach them about the danger Indigenous women and girls face.

She cited the 2014 murder of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine in Winnipeg. Fontaine was twice reported missing from a North End temporary youth shelter less than a month before her death. Her body was pulled from the Red River wrapped in a duvet cover on Aug. 17, 2014.

“They [my daughters] need to be aware of these things,” Stoneman said. “They need to know how to be aware of themselves, aware of people around them and how to stay safe.”

It’s hard to describe the fear she feels as a mother of two daughters, but it’s important to teach them about the risks.

“That’s something that I have to weigh in my life. Do I want them to still have that innocence, or do I want them to be prepared?”

The number of MMIWG in Canada is around 4,000, according to the Native Women’s Association of Canada, but incomplete data makes the true number difficult to determine. The RCMP reported in 2014 that more than 1,000 Indigenous women and girls were killed or went missing between 1980 and 2012.

Indigenous women represent 10 per cent of the total number of missing women in Canada between 1980 and 2014, according to the federal Department of Justice. Sixteen per cent of 6,849 police-reported female homicide cases were Indigenous women — a rate six times higher than non-Indigenous women in Canada.

“They need to start taking it seriously. There have already been reports done. There’s already been research done. They’ve already heard the stories; they know what needs to be done,” Stoneman said.

Among the reports to which she referred is the “National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: Reclaiming Power and Place,” which includes calls for justice.

Norway House Cree Nation member Amanda Belfour painted a red handprint over her face for Thursday’s ceremony. It’s a symbol for the women and girls who have gone missing, or who have been murdered.

There are systemic barriers to addressing the crisis, but she is hopeful for the future since the nationwide acknowledgment of unmarked gravesites at former residential schools is inspiring Canadians to learn more about their country’s dark history as well as Indigenous cultures and issues affecting Indigenous communities.

“I wish more people would come out,” Belfour said. “We just need a lot more allies and people in the community understanding and being aware. We are getting there.”

Thursday’s event was meant to be a safe space for people to listen to stories from those affected by the MMIWG crisis, said Knowledge Keeper Barb Blind.

“I think everybody knows of somebody that has a sister, an auntie, a relative. It affects everybody,” Blind said.

Addressing MMIWG will require conscience and societal change, she said, especially when it comes to the way men treat women.

It is a personal journey for many. Blind wants to inspire community members to take action and acknowledge how the justice system is failing to assist and protect Indigenous communities.

As an Indigenous woman, her first step is keeping herself and her family safe, but not everyone has the same privileges to stay on a good path, she said. The community needs to rally around vulnerable women and understand how something as simple as walking down the street can feel unsafe.

“A lot of time, we talk about the rape culture and how women shouldn’t be wearing certain things and if something happens, it’s our fault,” Blind said. “If the men didn’t do it, then it wouldn’t happen.”

Events like Thursday’s ceremony are important because they raise awareness of the crisis and give community members an opportunity to become involved, said Jason Gobeil, Brandon Friendship Centre president and Onitika/Ogichidaa (Warrior) wellness co-ordinator.

“This was community coming together and standing alongside each other for something that’s really important, that’s going not only across Canada but affects our own community of Manitoba — murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls,” Gobeil said.

“This is open to all Canadians to start learning about so we can start walking that path together.”

» ckemp@brandonsun.com, with files from The Brandon Sun

» Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp