MMIWG: Father says women are disappearing and it must stop
Close to 50 people, including the father of a woman killed in July, met at the Red Dress Garden to honour the lives of Membertou band members who have died due to violence.
The sound of traditional drumming and song wafted skyward while overhead an eagle circled and circled as if listening to the strong and comforting drum beats.
It was an emotional and intimate gathering on Saturday afternoon when close to 50 people met at the Red Dress Garden to honour the lives of Membertou band members who have died due to violence.
After band member Jeff Ward performed a ceremonial smudge and participated in the 'Honour Song,' he spoke what others were thinking: 'The eagle circled and circled above us – so our loved ones are here.'
People had met in advance of the annual May 5 Red Dress Day to remember their own First Nation band members who have disappeared or been killed over the years.
The Indigenous community in this country experiences significantly higher rates of violence compared to non-Indigenous populations, particularly when it comes to homicide and sexual assault against women. Holding Red Dress Day events serves to honour the missing and murdered people, as well as raise awareness of the issue among the non-Indigenous.
PHOTO DISPLAY
Andrea Dennis had created a photo display of five women who used to live among them: Margaret Rose Paul, (found dead in 1975); Michelle Marie Ginnish, (2004); Emma Ann Paul (1991); Geraldine T. Paul (1981); and Shaylene Paul-Johnson (2024). They are all among the thousands of missing and murdered women and girls and two-spirit people in Canada who are being remembered and honoured on Monday.
All five women are relations of the Paul family of Membertou.
'We don't want them forgotten,' she said, as she spoke about each of them. 'I'm here to support the families.'
The names of the five women were spoken and then people were invited to come forward and speak more names of people close to them who died by violence. About a dozen names of others were said out loud, and some family members told those gathered a bit about them. They were women, children and men.
Family members in attendance included Emily Paul, sister of Emma Paul who was murdered in 1991. Paul spoke with clear detail about the day the family received the phone call that her sister's body had been found.
'She might just be a number to you,' Paul said, 'but not to me. She was a mother of three who would never see her children grow up, or her grandchildren. She was a youngest daughter.'
It was Paul who was called to identify her sister's body and she described the experience, bringing tears to the eyes of those listening.
'She was beaten and strangled with her own shoelaces,' Paul said.
'But I know Emma isn't far from us, because I see her in her children and grandchildren. We, as a whole, must stop the disappearances of our sisters and brothers.'
'FIGHT FOR JUSTICE'
Clifford Paul, whose daughter, Shaylene, was found dead less than a year ago in July, spoke about her loss not only to the family, but to her Membertou community. He remembered his bright, vivacious daughter as a gifted, intelligent woman who was interested in her culture and spoke the Mi'kmaw language – a rare thing in younger people.
'She learned the Mi'kmaw language at a time where it wasn't readily available to kids that age,' he said.
'She would help anybody when they needed help,' he said.
Paul also reminded those gathered that Shaylene Paul-Johnson was a mother, a sister, a daughter and a niece. Her sisters and a daughter stood by, tears streaming down their faces.
'It's time for all of us to stand shoulder-to-shoulder because it's terrible to lose someone the way we lost ours.' Paul said. 'Our women are leaving our communities in a terrible way. We must do everything we can to stand up and fight for justice.'
And then, Paul thanked the people gathered in a circle around him.
'We thank all of you here for standing up beside us when we were going through that hell. You gave us strength.'
Monday's Red Dress Day walk in Sydney begins at Wentworth Park at 2 p.m. and travels to the Jane Paul Resource Centre, which is hosting a reception for all who walk. Other events are taking place in First Nations around Cape Breton.
Rosemary Godin is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter for the Cape Breton Post.
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