YORKTON – The Yorkton Tribal Council organized a walk to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women and their families May 5.
The walk was part of Red Dress Day, observed May 5 of each year to raise awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit+ people in Canada.
The walk began at YTC's office on King Street and concluded at City Centre Park where the roughly 200 hundred people in attendance heard speeches from local dignitaries and family members directly effected by the loss of a missing or murdered loved one.
"It's a hard day for everyone but we have to learn as Indigenous people and our non-Indigenous brothers and sisters — we heal by talking — we heal by laughter," told YTC Tribal Chief Isabel O'Soup to the crowd in attendance after a moment of silent for the missing and murdered Indigenous women.
"Our Indigenous women — we have to fight extra hard to be in this world," said O'Soup, adding, "it wasn't always like this and we need to get back to respecting our women and putting them in their rightful place where they belong."
"We can stop the impacts of our murdered and missing Indigenous women," said O'Soup.
Also in attendace was Mayor Mitch Hippsley who said the numbers of missing and murdered Indigenous women is "horrible" when compared to other cultures.
"We have to be patient. We have to keep trying. We have to keep working," said Hippsley.
"It's days like today that make the change. We walk down Broadway and everyone recognizes what's going on if they don't already know. Every year — year-in-year-out — it will make change," added the Mayor.
There to deliver a first-hand account of what it's like to lose a loved one to violence was Gwenda Yuzicappi of Standing Buffalo Dakota First Nation.
Yuzicappi's daughter, Amber Redman, was last seen at a bar in Fort Qu'Appelle on July 15, 2005 before her disappearance. After three years of investigations, Redman's remains were discovered. Murder charges were laid and the suspect was convicted in 2009. Yuzicappi spoke at length about her daughter's disappearance.
