Advertisement

‘They matter and they were loved’: Standoff conference honours murdered and missing Indigenous women

Click to play video: 'Standoff, Alta. hosts conference to honour murdered and missing Indigenous women'
Standoff, Alta. hosts conference to honour murdered and missing Indigenous women
WATCH: “These are real women and they matter and they were loved,” a three-day conference in Alberta heard. Members of the Blood Tribe honoured missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and discussed how to heal. Demi Knight reports – Dec 12, 2018

The number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls continues to weigh on the hearts and minds of members of the Blood Tribe in southern Alberta.

A recent database identified more than 2,500 murdered or missing Indigenous women across North America.

Those at Dec. 10 to 12 conference held in Standoff, Alta., spent some time looking at why these numbers continue to grow and how history played a part in the way women are treated today.

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“It’s one of those issues that was put under the rug and wasn’t talked about, and it has to do with how we think of women,” said Theda New Breast, a keynote speaker at the event.

Story continues below advertisement

The conference was hosted by the Kainai Wellness Centre and saw almost 500 people in attendance over the three days.

With several keynote speakers making an appearance, the event offered sessions on self care, recovery and wellness, while focusing on how populations can learn to heal.

“We have to let people feel the shock. We have to let them ask questions,” said New Breast. “We have to let them hear the story and then we have to let them say the feelings that they’re going through.”

And for her, the conference also stood for a symbol of something more.

“I think it’s a spiritual healing for both the United States and for Canada,” said New Breast.

“When they begin to lift up the hearts of their Indigenous women, it’ll be a spiritual reconciliation that is so powerful it’ll be good to be alive and a human being on this continent when we start to do that.”

Sponsored content

AdChoices