While the sun paints the sky pink behind Cheam mountain, community members gather inside the Agassiz United Church to spend an hour honouring the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people from around the country.
The fourth annual Sisters in Spirit vigil in Agassiz Oct. 4 is part of a national movement for social change that centres on families of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.
As the sun sets around Canada, communities gather to share, support, learn and honour the over 1,000 women and girls who have disappeared or had their lives taken across the country. In B.C., at least 19 communities hosted vigils, including Hope and Coquitlam.
Chief Ralph Leon of the Sts’ailes Nation starts the evening’s ceremony by performing a song celebrating Mother Nature, the drum beats mimicking a sound we all heard before any other; our mother’s heartbeat. Leon speaks of solidarity and acceptance.
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Afterwards, participants came forward one by one to read the missing posters of women from around Canada. A candle was lit for each woman and girl.
“There is great strength in unity,” said co-organizer Debbie Hansen in a speech at the vigil. “Together we are uniting for a common cause and drawing attention to this Canadian human rights emergency.”
Hansen says there are many ways to support families, including contacting politicians, signing petitions and showing up to court dates.
“We need to honour and support families every day of the year,” she says to the crowd.
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To learn more about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous women and girls crisis, visit the Native Women’s Association of Canada’s website. For information on the federal government’s ongoing inquiry, go to the website for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.