Sisters in Spirit Gathering Hits Home: Bill’s Right On Blog

Regina, SK – The names were read out one by one, many names I recognized or knew – Wesaquate, Chief, Desjarlais, Bird, Favel, others. Names I grew up with going to school, in residential school, in the hood, through pow wows and round dances, names listed off one by one – missing or murdered.

For a moment I was enraged and simply pissed off, there was no Smith’s, John’s, Bell’s, or McClean’s. It was clear to me who was missing, who was lost, who was undesired in this society.

Every October 4th is a national day of vigil for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women; the Sisters in Spirit plan events across Canada and this year the planning committee for Regina (Jacqueline Anaquod, Brenda Dubois, Tracey Dunnigan, Heather Shepard, Gord Barnes, Roland Kay, Doug Jarvis Christal Lintott and Chasity Delorme) brought together a beautiful night at the First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) starting with a Pipe Ceremony, a feast, vigil, a play (called Transactions performed by the Collective Performance Storytelling Ensemble), and a round dance to honour the ‘sisters in spirit’ who are still missing or have been murdered.

With almost 300 people in attendance, we didn’t rage over the lack of an inquiry, we didn’t blame the police or the RCMP. Tonight we consoled, we loved and we united in remembrance of those who need us to believe. For in the past 20 years over 1,200 indigenous women have been either murdered or are still missing – some left to pick up a fountain drink and never came back only to be found murdered, others got lost to the streets, others are simply gone. Disappeared like Tamara Keepness (who went missing almost 10 years ago in Regina when she was only five-years-old).

As I began to write this I wanted to be angry because it is my cousins, sisters, aunties, and friends that are living in fear, wondering if they will be next. I want to rage at Harper’s indifference to our plight, but the prayers tonight asked for love. They asked for comfort and unity – to support those going through hard times. So I will save my anger for another column. But listening to those names still rings through my ears.

#NoMoreStolenSisters

– Perspective and Photos by Bill Stevenson (with additional photos by Chris Tyrone Ross) 

GALLERY