Siksika hosts awareness walk for Red Dress Day

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

May 5 marked the day to recognize Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit People (MMIWG2S), which was hosted at the Deerfoot Sportsplex with a walk for awareness.

Beginning at roughly 10:30 a.m., locals from the surrounding community came out to participate in a five-kilometre walk around the facility, carrying a banner to raise awareness for the cause. 

The National Day of Awareness for MMIWG2S, often referred to as “Red Dress Day,” was first adopted in 2010 to bring awareness to and honour the thousands of First Nations people who have gone missing and/or have been murdered. 

The red dresses, which are often hung from trees, represent young girls who were lost or stolen from their families and communities. 

Flora Royal (Yellow Old Woman), whose brother, Fred, went missing over a decade ago, spoke to the event held in Siksika on Friday. 

“My brother went missing, June 14, 2011 in Kamloops. I like attending these kinds of events to talk to people who are in the same situation as my family,” she said. “Part of it (is) the healing. There is no closure for my family because we have never found my brother. It is still ongoing. His case is still open in Kamloops.”

Royal added she returns to Kamloops every year, to the house where Fred went missing from, and to the Thompson River. Her next trip will be the 12th occasion she has visited the site. 

“I did a lot of searching just a few days after he went missing. Me and my older sister – my family, brothers, nephews. I did a thorough search myself of the last place he was at,” she said. “It is very hard on the family. Non-closure can really hit you hard if you do not deal with it … I know he is gone because he would not have just disappeared from the face of the earth.”

Royal explained she had 12 siblings, of whom, four have been lost. 

The walks on Red Dress Day, she said, are extremely important for helping the families and communities who remember those who have been lost to heal together and talk about their loved ones.

“Our community of Siksika has much work to do in addressing the violence committed upon our people, and to develop a plan that will include the awareness of our society values, strengthening our culture and community in healing from our past, changing our ways today, and moving forward to a healthy atmosphere, our goals that we all must take on,” said Leanne Sleigh, Siksika traditional wellness program coordinator.

The awareness walk for Red Dress Day took place in tandem with the launch of the 36th annual Blackfoot Invitational basketball tournament.

In Strathmore, a similar walk to raise awareness for MMIWG2S took place May 4, in Kinsmen Park.