It’s a day for healing, reconciliation, and honouring those who are missing and murdered in Canada. Friday’s National Day of Awareness for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People ceremony in Saint John hits close to many Indigenous peoples, and communities continue to mourn lives lost.
Ninety-six beats, each for a call to action on the federal government. The ceremony incorporated traditional drumming and a heartfelt read of names that haven’t returned home in New Brunswick and across Canada.
Red dresses were hung inside the council chambers as a symbol of remembrance of those individuals.
“I hope they take a better understanding of what’s going on,” said Natasha Ward, originally from the Metepenagiag First Nation.
“These women who are being dumped at dumpsters and at landfills, (if) you don’t say their names, they’re regarded as trash and devalued. To say their names give them their moment.”
Ward recalled Saint John-born Candice Stevens, who died near her home.
Stevens’ remains were found in Upper Derby, N.B., near Miramichi on Oct. 27, 2018. Police are treating her death as a homicide.
She described the shock from the community after hearing of her death just minutes down the road. The red dress near her community is a vigil for her and other murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls.”It was so emotional today,” said Indigenous elder Opolahsomuwehs, speaking from the Tobique First Nation.
“There’s a mom whose two children that go to my school and who are still missing. That’s right here in our territory,” said Opolahsomuwehs. “So there has to be more awareness.”
She recalled a trip to the bank on Friday, where the teller was wearing red. But it was a mere coincidence. Opolahsomuwehs hopes that as time goes by, more New Brunswickers will begin to learn and act on days like today.
She’s encouraging residents to not only wear red today but whenever they can in support of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
While there’s no official number on exactly how many Indigenous people are missing, estimates are somewhere in the thousands.
“It’s a national crisis, and we need to be aware of what’s happening in our backyards,” said Ward on Friday.