REGINA – Red ribbons lined both the Albert and Broad Street Bridges in Regina on Tuesday as a way to remember Canada’s missing and murdered indigenous women.
Many of the ribbons were originally tied to the bridges on Monday as a quiet event for families affected by missing and murdered Aboriginal women across the country.
“Seeing as the holidays are probably the hardest time of year for the families who have a missing or murdered indigenous woman, we wanted to continue it over the holidays as well, keep it going,” said Nickita Longman, who organized Monday’s event.
This campaign began on Dec. 13 when four women from the Opaskwayak Cree Nation in Manitoba tied red ribbons to a bridge in The Pas.
Since then, it has spread across social media; inspiring similar displays in across Manitoba, Ontario, and even Alaska.
Lisa Big Eagle helped tie ribbons on Monday, but also tied ribbons to the Albert Street Bridge on the 23rd. She was joined by members of her family as they tied ribbons for her sister Danita, who disappeared in February 2007.
“We’re not going to give up looking for her, and whoever knows where she is please tell us where she is. Because we need to know where she is,” cried Big Eagle.
She said her family has received tips about Danita’s potential whereabouts over the past nine years, but all of them turned out to be dead ends.
The federal government officially launched phase one of an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women on Dec. 8 and both Longman and Big Eagle are hopeful it will bring change.
“Now that the inquiry is set, I think as a city we need to be able to have a public discourse about it,” said Longman.
“And if the red ribbons are a way to start that discussion we’ve achieved what we came to do.”
“I’m hoping that this national inquiry will hopefully bring us some kind of answers, and maybe it’ll protect us because this is what we need,” said Big Eagle.
“We need to be protected.”
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