HAMILTON – McMaster University commemorated a plaque for the families of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW) yesterday on campus — a large step forward considering not so long ago indigenous people would lose their status as an Indian for simply attending a post-secondary school.
The commemoration ceremony, was held on December 6 on the National Day of Remembrance and Action Against Violence on MMIW and was organized by the Anti-Violence Network and Indigenous Studies Program. The national day of remembrance was established to remember the 14 women murdered on December 6, 1989 in the event also known as the “Montreal Massacre”, the five women from the McMaster community who have been murdered and to remember the 1,200 or more indigenous women and girls who have been murdered or unaccounted for.
“I’m here to stand in solidarity to that which is antithetical to peaceful and justful living,” said Andy Crowell, who was on the event’s planning committee and is a chaplain for the university. “I’m in support of human rights.”
Dr. Robyn Bourgeois gave the keynote address and spoke with an emphasis on how the government has and is currently dealing with indigenous issues that all come back to an apparent lack of effort on the MMIW inquiry.
“This is something governments do for themselves,” said Bourgeois. “It’s something they created to help them feel like they are moving forward.”
Bourgeois spoke on issues that included; land rights and issues; child welfare; domination; superiority; and secrecy. She is a cree activist, academic, author and adult educator. Her research examines violence against indigenous woman and girls and indigenous women’s leadership in confronting this violence.
Bourgeois’ address was followed by a response from Beverley Jacobs from Six Nations. Jacobs is a lawyer, researcher and consultant and previous president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada.
Students, professors, media and community members were joined by the families and survivors of missing and murdered indigenous women in the crowd. Everyone was invited to step outside of the warm building and into the cold to smudge, pray, think and listen to the family members tell their journey of healing and how they’re still coping with their losses.
“Right now is a time for thinking,” said Patrick Deane, president of McMaster University. “It’s time to take in everything we have heard today and just be silent.”
An event organizer read the words on the plaque and asked the crowd to place a tobacco sachet in a fire that was burning next to the plaque. The Indigenous Studies Program also had a poster display of life-sized MMIW portraits on display. The portraits featured the life, and life taken of more than 40 women.
Seth Adema, a chaplain for McMaster University who has a PhD in indigenous history said that he enjoys participating in events like this.
“I feel like there is a lot of good here that’s going on,” he said. “Being here is literally the least I could do [for families of MMIW].”
