Plans underway for missing women's monument
- EFN Staff | August 11, 2014
The RCMP has reported that there have been over 1,100 missing or murdered Aboriginal women in the past several decades in Canada. These women and girls are much more than numbers. They are someone's mom, daughter, aunty, sister or grandmother. And even if they are gone, they are still thought of, remembered or looked for.
To honour those women, the Saskatoon Tribal Council, the Provincial Government and the Saskatoon Police Service are collaborating with the community to build a monument for missing and murdered Aboriginal women at the new Saskatoon Police station. The Tribal Council is leading the way and three community consultations have been held already.
On a July evening, community members gathered in the new Police Station Community Room and, following a prayer by Walter and Maria Linklater, a few drum songs and some soup and bannock, people settled into groups to discuss the themes they would like to see reflected in the memorial.
"We have some members that are deeply affected by this issue," said Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Felix Thomas. "Somebody has to do it. Regardless of the cost, we need to do something to keep reminding people that this is an important issue. This is a big thing for people directly affected. People can talk all they want, at some point you have to do something. Out of respect for them, we are making sure they are not alone and that they are included."
The people involved hope the memorial will help keep awareness of the issue alive.
"We need people to remember and continue the search for our loved ones and not forget the ones that have been located," said Dorthea Swiftwolfe, the Missing Persons Liaison for the Saskatoon Police Service. "I think it is important to include the families in this process. This monument is not for the police service or the general public; it is for the families to make everyone aware of how they are feeling. The monument represents the heartache and longing. It never goes away. The monument will always be there. Now imagine that being your child, sister or brother. These people are not numbers or a statistic. They are loved. They are somebody. They are valued and honoured. And we need to remember that."
The situation regarding missing people is serious. The Saskatoon Police Service receives 1,600 missing people reports a year and Police Chief Clive Weighill says they have changed how they handle missing people cases.
"The days of waiting 24 hours to file a missing persons report are over. We take reports immediately," said Weighill. "We prioritize the cases and treat them accordingly."
The Police Service also has a resource book for the families of the missing people and has signed agreements that they can communicate with the Chief of the First Nation where a missing person is from. The monument, says Weighill, will serve an important purpose to the community.
"We want to keep the awareness alive on the issue. We have worked hard on this file for several years, and we wanted a place for people to come, assemble, reflect or start or end a march in Saskatoon that keeps that awareness alive."
Myrna LaPlante participated in the community consultation, sharing her vision of what the monument should reflect.
"Hope, dignity, respect, awareness. These are all a part of this topic of missing and murdered Aboriginal women. It has to reflect the ongoing commitment to search for loved ones. But I would like to see it be something simple," said LaPlante, who knows about the issue all too well.
Her aunt, Emily Osmond, has been missing since 1997 and her nephew, Cody Wolfe, has been missing since May of 2011. She has put in countless hours searching for her loved ones and also raising awareness on a local and national level with her work with Iskwewuk E-wichiwitochik Women Walking Together.
"I am really glad they are doing this process. Chief Thomas and Chief Weighill have it right. Community input and family input is vital. We expect other families to join in as we go along."
The Tribal Council expects to have some more consultations before they begin the lengthy process to find the concept and artist for the memorial. The best case scenario is installation in the fall of 2015.
"We don't want to rush this process. We want to make sure it is done properly with inclusion," added tribal Chief Thomas. "Words and concepts such as love, respect and courage, can be visualized and actualized. We did that with our residential school project. Elders told their stories and they were depicted on canvas. It can be done. We are glad the community came out and we are appreciative of their time. It is an important issue for all of us."