'I challenge you to do something': GWWIC holds candlelit vigil for missing and murdered Indigenous people

ELENI KOPSAFTIS

In Canada, Indigenous women and girls are five times more likely to experience violence than any other population. To acknowledge those impacted by this violence and honour the missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit individuals, Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis (GWWIC) hosted the Sisters in Spirit candlelight vigil event on Oct. 4 in Royal City Park.

Indigenous women in Canada experience disproportionately high rates of violence. According to the GWWIC website, Indigenous women represent only about five per cent of Canadian women. Despite this, 24 per cent of female homicide victims between 2015 and 2020 were Indigenous.

Further, a study by the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics showed that 56 per cent of Indigenous women have experienced physical assault and 46 per cent experienced sexual assault. These rates are even higher for Two-Spirit individuals.

“This event will offer space for reflection on the impacts of this violence, as well as for remembrance and healing,” read the GWWIC website.

At 6 p.m. on the day of the event, community members gathered at the Sacred Fire for the vigil as.

The Sacred Fire was created in Royal City Park by First Nations, Métis, Mixed Ancestry, and Inuit. It is used for various spiritual gatherings, and the Fire Keepers stay with the flame at all times while maintaining it according to their traditions, says the Guelph City website.

The space for Sacred Fire is located right off of Speed River, chosen for its proximity to the merging rivers which was a meeting point for Original Peoples.

The sacred flame was encircled with red, yellow, white, and black fabric for the event, and the trees near the space were hung with red dresses.

The red dress became a symbol for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in 2010, says journalist Christian Allaire in an article, when Winnipeg-based Métis and Finnish artist Jaime Black started the art series after seeing a group of 40 local women who had experienced having family members go missing without any recourse. The women wore red dresses, the colour of the life-giving blood.

During the vigil event, participants were invited to smudge, enter the circle around the Sacred Fire, and hold onto some dried tobacco leaves throughout the event as to infuse them with our prayers and remembrance and later place them in the fire. Every participant was also given a candle to hold for the duration of the vigil.

Kellie Grace, a traditional healing liason for the Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC), spoke out throughout the vigil, highlighting the aforementioned rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people as well as the need for action.

“We continue to see women walk out the door, never to return. Families have lived the agony of regular phone calls that suddenly stopped, only to be replaced by silence. These women don’t just stop calling their families. They aren’t out partying or choosing to end their lives. They don't just disappear without a trace,” said Grace.

“The crimes against Indigenous women that continue to take lives and destroy many others from the loss, trauma, and grief need to be brought forward. The ripple effect on these families, children, and communities is not going to go away … How can we continue to turn a blind eye as mothers, daughters, sisters, and aunties missing without a trace or dying at the hands of killers? The justice system, provincial and federal government, is failing them. It’s failing us.”

By 7 p.m., participants were again offered leaves–this time from pine trees–to

Red dresses became a symbol for missing and murdered indigenous women in 2010, according to journalist Christian Allaire. CREDIT: ELENI KOPSAFTIS

imbue with their prayers and cast into the Sacred Fire following a minute of silence. Grace not only thanked everyone at the event, she also urged everyone in attendance that the time for talking and waiting has come and gone, that the time for action is now.

“It is time that we Canadians rise up and embrace our own forms of expression and our own calls for action among this evergrowing genocide,” said Kellie.

“Write your provincial and federal governments. Demand action. Attend vigils. Listen to the stories of families. Attend workshops. March for the missing and murdered. Stay educated and up-to-date. Learn Canada’s true history from an Indigenous perspective … I challenge you to speak out against racism, sexism, ignorance, and stereotypes for my people. Don’t forget that this is happening.”

Although the Sisters in Spirit event and other such vigils could not bring back those who have already been lost or murdered, action may hopefully prevent anyone else from suffering the same untimely fate.