”We started end of January,” 2007, "to organize an event," (May 12 07, Edmonton, see below), "to raise awareness about the inexplicable loss of life of Aboriginal women,” explained April Eve Wiberg, she, who described, a society of unequal conditions put upon Aboriginal women.
She wonders at the supposed-to-be egalitarian society with its much-touted multi-cultural values, opposite the harassment of a group, based on sex and race, into lives of poverty and separation, leading many Aboriginal women into lives of despair and often malfeasance at the hands of pimps, johns, rapists, and murderers.
An unusually stark statistic occurs with 50 percent of the women who disappeared off the scene in the DES of Vancouver were First Nation and Aboriginal descendant. A similarly alarming situation is underway around Edmonton at the moment, with women disappearing and dying and the proportion of Native women in the group, again, off the scale, in relation to Aboriginal demographics in Canada (2.7 percent of Canadian population).
April Eve used word of mouth and the internet to start the momentum of creating the Stolen Sisters March, May 12, 07, at the Canadian Friendship Centre in Edmonton. “Towards the end we created the poster, and distributed press releases to Edmonton media. “We wanted to raise awareness. We consider it an epidemic of loss.”
She said, “According to research 500 missing and murdered Aboriginal women can be counted in the past 20 years, many of the cases remaining unsolved," and these Canadian women are the forgotten of contemporary society, a sort of ‘disappeared’ group.
April Eve pulled no punches, “It is racial discrimination added to violence versus women. It has many sources, including the self-esteem of the women involved, many of whom suffered as a result of systemic discrimination,” residential school remnants, poverty, street life. She has many of her own experiences to recount, having been raised in a non-Native environment in southern Saskatchewan.
The racism in this region of Canada rises to bitter levels and exists on both sides of the racial divide. The Cree and Sioux, Dakota and Ojibway, often express a wish they had never met a white man. The RCMP headquarters for training and recruitment were likely established in Regina as a visual bulwark against the First Nations.
“Southern Saskatchewan showed me and my sister a lot of racism. The racisim followed us to Edmonton,” she noted, “when we were teenagers walking to the store we were harrassed by ‘johns’, and both of us have felt stereotyped in so many ways.” The women who become stolen are often those separated from families, and when they go missing the authorities usually fail to proceed far into investigations. She said the Stolen Sisters march and other activities are an effort to make police and society to afford Aboriginal women the same levels of protection as other women.
“All levels of government have to work together and apply tougher sentences to the criminals who harm these women. Even today I am stereotyped where I live and walk to the store or out in the evening,” for being a Cree woman. Stolen Sisters non registered group of volunteers started by April Eve Wiberg, “We wanted to raise awareness not money. People have no idea of (even) the statistics, never mind the underlying causes like systemic racism and genocide." (More on the genocide in this context coming soon.)
Muriel Stanley Venne is President and founder of the Institute for Advancement of Aboriginal Women, and was at the march to speak and provide supporters. “They have the same goals,” said Wiberg, of another organization born in Edmonton, “They established the National Esquao Awards.”
April Eve mentioned a visit to New Mexico this spring to attend the Gathering Of Nations, “Ten thousand visitors watched the Grand Entry, and they crowned Miss Indian World, and held pow wow dance competitions. It’s a three day event for all nations.” They have a huge “Indian market,” a term she dislikes, ‘indian’, but recognizes the US nations using it with liberality.
At the May 12 07 event, organizers met with hundreds to march and raise awareness regarding the loss of life or disappearance of Aboriginal women in Canada. Organizers met at the Canadian Native Friendship Centre and marched with hundreds of supporters around a large radius of about ten square blocks. It was a casual affair well attended by Edmonton's media.
The Stolen Sisters Awareness March was created to raise awareness and to honor the missing and murdered First Nations, Métis, and Inuit women of Canada. Aboriginal women account for less than 3% of the entire Canadian population. In the last 20 years, approximately 500 of our sisters have been murdered or have gone missing. 'Honoring Our Sisters' included a feast after the march and a Healing With Laughter concert starring Don Burnstick.
A Hip-Hop Performance by GAMEOVER ENTERTAINMENT was added entertainment and featured the YOUNGUNNAZ, and Edmonton’s own Sean Bernard. Admission was also free. Performances were donated by the artists to the SSAM. The CNFC facilities were donated by the Canadian Native Friendship Centre.
