We are now over 500 supporters in less that one week!
Gilakas’la (gay-la-kas-la) allies - thank you!
When I woke up this morning I was devastated to hear that Murray Sinclair, Manitoba's first Indigenous judge, had died at the age of 73. The words of this man made a huge impact on my life, especially these 4 questions which I think of often.
As I progressed throughout the day, I found out we lost another family member in our Campbell River community. Every week another member of our family dies. I wonder, how can anything be done to fix this when families are constantly grieving?
As a social work student in the Indigenous specialization at UVIC, I have come to believe in community mobilization. I want to see the community of Campbell River to come together, and I believe education is key.
One example of community mobilization that has changed the world, is Jaime Black’s The REDress Project, created in 2010 for two reasons: 1) for people to confront the violence that Indigenous women are experiencing and 2) to acknowledge the power that Indigenous women have.
Personally, I want these visual markers. It not only reminds me of our past as a people, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, but I believe it can spark curiosity for those who just need a bit more information to understand the bigger picture. Perhaps, for them to show maya’xala.
Maya’xala - treat someone or something good, the closest word that defines maya’xala in the English language is “respect”. It is respect for all living beings, human, animals or plants, for things and for oneself.
- Umista Cultural Centre
Unfortunately, I constantly see the power of Indigenous women being challenged, and just one more example, are the stolen red dresses off HWY 19 in Campbell River.
Leslie, one of the participants of the Red Dress Project in Campbell River, recently sent me photos of numerous red dresses that had been taken down from posts along HWY 19 and discarded to the side or tossed behind the wildlife fence along the highway.
It was in May of 2024, that 48 dresses were put up along the highway as a memorial for National Day of Awareness for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and 2S people, now known as Red Dress Day.
Within the past month, 16 of these symbols of awareness and resilience have gone missing. Six have since been recovered and 10 have yet to be replaced.
I drove this stretch of highway yesterday to attend our culture group with my 5 year old daughter. While I saw a few of the remaining red dresses, I also saw a giant 12 X 15 ft real estate sign on the side of the highway. I wondered about these symbols and signs. Remove the red dresses, but leave the capital gain. Who took that land? Who's land is it? So many thoughts ran through my head. Maya’xala at the forefront.
Who has the power right now? How do they intend to use their power?
My heart ached. I felt disgusted. As someone who walks in the borderlands between two worlds, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, I was/am embarrassed.
The Indigenous population of Canada is 5%. This is a minority, and if we are not speaking up, we are consenting to the continued disrespect and hate that Indigenous people face, that all racialized minority groups face.
We must speak out, which is why I created this petition in the first place. I have also created a Go Fund Me campaign for Leslie, to support her in her efforts to replace the 10 dresses that have not been returned, despite all her efforts. Head here if you're interested in donating. She also did an interview with CHECK news on March 6, 2024, when the dresses were initially vandalized. Check it out here.
Gilakas’la to all of you, my like-minded community! Please remember to SHARE this petition, and perhaps, if something resonated with you in this update, SHARE this too.
ALL MY RELATIONS
Jamie
Recently in the media:
CBC writes an article about our Hereditary Chief’s letter here.
Campbell River Mirror published my initial letter to council and petition here.