10th anniversary of vigil honouring MMIW
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Sisters in Spirit vigils occurred
across the country on October 4th, in honour of missing and murdered Indigenous
women and girls. This is the 10
th
anniversary of the walks that pay
tribute to the almost 1,200 women and girls that are now memories for far too
many families in our communities.
Hundreds of people gathered
at Station 20 West in Saskatoon for a walk organized by Iskwewuk
E-wichiwitochik. As the procession wound through the Riversdale neighbourhood, cars honked in support
and people came out of houses to acknowledge the walkers and pay respects.
The growing awareness of the
issue has certainly helped bring resources to families with missing relatives,
but the strain in the community and the issues that lead to women becoming
vulnerable are still prevalent.
All
too often our newspaper receives emails like this one that arrived just moments
after the completion of this year’s walk in Saskatoon.
“Saskatoon
Police are requesting public assistance in locating a 17-year-old girl. On
Sept.29, 2015 Raylien Charles, DOB: 1998-07-25, was reported to the Saskatoon
Police Service as a missing person. Raylien is described as a First
Nations Female, 5’4″ tall and weighs approximately 100 lbs. At the
time she was reported missing, she was wearing blue jeans, a dark colored
t-shirt, and a dark colored hoodie. If you have any information
regarding the whereabouts of Raylien, you are asked to call the Saskatoon
Police Service at 306-975-8300.”
The
Saskatoon Police Service receives over 1,600 missing person’s reports annually,
many of them Indigenous women.
Photo by Willow Lagimodiere
Until
the root causes of these issues are addressed, the community has to rely on
champions like the organizers, Iskwewuk E-wichiwitochik and prayers because the
tragic emails just don’t seem to stop.
