Hay River turns the town red in memory of MMIWG2S
Close to 200 people marched in homage to missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people in Hay River on May 5.
A sea of red progressed through the town as residents took to the streets to call for greater respect for people's bodily autonomy and to end violence against those who are most vulnerable.
'Violence against women and girls is a daily reality,' said K'atl'odeeche First Nation (KFN) Chief Elaine Auger in a speech. 'But we also have the opportunity to highlight our extraordinary resilience and need to remain dedicated to advocating for women's rights and freedoms. Each one of us need to acknowledge our role and become advocates in building our future by challenging the institutions to their ideologies that tend to govern them.
'Moving forward, we need to witness the strength and courage of the families and survivors who continue to share their truths. We have the opportunity to hold one another accountable, to campaign for healing and to be the role models to our young girls and youth.'
Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre hosted the memorial ceremony. Executive director Danielle Antoine said preparations for the day started two days earlier with the efforts of volunteers from the centre, Family and Community Support Services, Victims Services, KFN and youth from the community. Joining in the march were students from Diamond Jenness Secondary School and Chief Sunrise Education Centre.
Roy Fabian and Tristan Sanguez opened the ceremonies with traditional drumming and prayer before Fabian addressed the crowd about the importance of the day.
'One of the most important things in the Dene way is to raise children to eventually become Elders,' said Fabian following the prayer service. 'So they raise them in a certain way, to make sure that every child has a good heart.
'Today, I have a hard time saying I'm a Dene when I don't live a Dene life. I'm a colonized Dene, and it's hard to know that. Our people, through colonization, lost that good heart.'
Since it began 15 years ago, Red Dress Day has served as an annual reminder of the plight numerous First Nations and Inuit women, girls and two-spirited people endure on a daily basis. Antoine said the dangers faced by vulnerable people are as real today as they were 15 years ago, noting that the search continues for Frank Gruben, originally from Aklavik, after he disappeared two years ago at age 30.
However, the annual reminder of the crimes people face is having a positive impact, said Antoine, remarking that she's seen a noticeable change in both how people treat women and two-spirited people in the community and how they treat themselves.
'We have a youth lunch program, so I see a lot of the kids in here,' she said. 'They were quite happy this [event] happened — they're in that stage where they're trying to figure out who they are. So I just let them be. Seniors too. They talked about how important this was — some of them had daughters and granddaughters who were missing.
'It's hard to hear people talk about it, but we just let them talk about it so they know we're here for them for support. There's people willing to listen.'
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