100 march for missing and murdered aboriginal females
Marchers for Sisters in Spirit event draw attention to lost loved ones
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Yellowknife resident James Jenka was like many of the other 100 or so people who marched in the annual Sisters in Spirit Walk yesterday. He too has lost a loved one - possibly due to violence.
About 100 people, young and old, male and female, indigenous and non-indigenous took part in yesterday's Sisters in Spirit Walk. They marched from Ndilo to Northern United Place to raise awareness about missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls. - John McFadden/NNSL photo |
The march, from Ndilo to Northern United Place, was held on a blustery, chilly, grey day to honour and remember the roughly 1,500 missing aboriginal women and girls in Canada. The weather did not dampen the spirits of the marchers.
Jenka held a sign, commemorating his mother Helene Louise Ratfat. The woman, in her mid-30s at the time, went missing from Fort Chipewyan in northern Alberta in 1971.
"She was actually only officially reported as missing three years ago," said Jenka.
"We all thought she was reported missing a long time ago but I guess they never put her into the data."
Jenka said he has a relative who is a police officer and Jenka has been led to believe that the RCMP is still investigating his mother's disappearance.
"They've linked her to the Edmonton area and they've linked her to an Englishman who has moved back to England," Jenka said. "This man is still alive. They are trying to track him down."
Jenka was like many in the march - family members and friends who either don't know where their loved ones are or are mourning their violent deaths.
The walk was organized by the NWT Native Women's Association. Marie Speakman is a victim service worker with the association.
"We think it is important to do more awareness on missing and murdered aboriginal women. We know the statistics in Canada. We hear and see it on the news. It's close to home," Speakman said. "Up here in the North there are women who have gone missing and been murdered here in our city."
Speakman said this year's walk is at least the eighth annual. One year she said marchers walked partway to Yellowknife from Behchoko for the event.
Association spokesperson Mishelle Lavoie said even though it is called the Sisters in Spirit Walk, men and boys are welcome to attend. She pointed out that the rate of domestic violence in the NWT is substantially higher than most of the rest of Canada.
"Showing that men support this helps shows other men become aware that this is not right. We shouldn't be doing these things," Lavoie said. "It shows they care too about these missing women. It's not just women supporting women - it's everyone supporting them."
Speakman said she does not know exactly why the NWT's rate of domestic abuse is so high. She said there are no easy answers.
"I'm not blaming colonialism. I am not blaming residential schools. But a lot of that has affected out people since the 1800s," Speakman said.
Both Speakman and Lavoie said that there is a degree of frustration over how long it is taking to get a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women off the ground but at the same time they both said they understood the federal government's pledge to get it done right.
"It's a sensitive topic so it's not like you can just go out there and say what you need to say and miss key bases and come across as insensitive," Lavoie said.
"At some point it's going to be like, 'OK guys, step up show us what's you've got.' The Trudeau government hasn't been in power for very long. I'm still patient and hopeful they will get it done right."
The walk was held in about 100 communities in Canada yesterday, including on Parliament Hill.
There are roughly a dozen missing and murdered indigenous females in the NWT, according to the NWT Native Women's Association.
