Miywasin Moment: A pledge for peace

By JoLynn Parenteau on May 10, 2023.

PHOTO BY JOLYNN PARENTEAU Wearing a moose hide campaign pin is a pledge to stand against gender-based violence.

“May you bring back exceptional experiences to your home fires.”
– Chief William Morin, River Cree Resort welcome guide

For three days last week, over 200 change makers gathered on maskekosihk, land of the medicines – the traditional name of Enoch Cree Nation on Treaty 6 territory – to build relationships and seek a way forward in ending gender-based violence (GBV) across Alberta.
The second Leading Change Summit hosted by the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters at the River Cree Resort and Casino brought together 45 guest speakers to share best and emerging practices in building ethical spaces – nanatawihowin wasakam, healing circles – where those fleeing abuse can recover and in many cases, begin their lives anew. Presenters covered topics from transforming hockey locker room culture, to nurturing father-daughter relationships, to improving shelter programming.
Beginning the summit welcome dinner in a good way, ACWS executive director Jan Reimer presented three journalists with Lynda Steele Media Awards for their courageous and dedicated reporting on GBV. Matthew Behrens, the late Janice Johnston, and Jana G. Pruden each received the 2023 award. A Medicine Hat News reporter in the early aughts, Pruden is now a feature writer for the Globe and Mail based in Edmonton and has been recognized internationally for her journalism work covering gender-based violence.
“Sharing these stories and talking openly about domestic violence without shame or stigma has the potential to change and save lives,” said Pruden in her acceptance speech.
“The knowledge and stories we all share will provide valuable insights into how we can work together to create a world where everyone can live free from fear and harm,” writes Reimer.
Wednesday night saw a packed ballroom as Jonathan Van Ness of Netflix’s Queer Eye series joined a panel on creating safe spaces for 2SLGBTQ+ people online and in the media.
“We all have a platform in our relationships,” said the New York Times best-selling author (Over The Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love) to a rapt audience about our individual spheres of influence and ability to promote change. “You have a lot of power.”
Collaborating with the Alberta Native Friendship Centre Association and the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services, ACWS hosted workshops for their members building upon The Centring Relationships to End Violence (CREV) Project. Together, the three provincial associations are developing authentic relationships between colleagues, creating collaborative communities of practice across the province that share their lessons and vision for improved support services for survivors, especially Indigenous women.
Indigenous women and teens are 3.5 times more likely to experience violence than their non-Indigenous peers. Traditional teachings model healthy relationships based on pakiteyimowin (consent), mamisiwin (trust) and kihceyihtamowin (respect).
“When wanting to know how to make a safe space, ask Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people,” said attendee Michele Markham, manager of Sage Seniors’ Safe House in amiskwaciwaskahikan, beaver hills house (Edmonton).
On Thursday, May 11, over 400,000 people are set to gather across Turtle Island (Native Canada) or tune in online to join the Moose Hide Campaign, a grassroots movement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous men, boys and all genders who pledge to take a stand against violence towards women and children. Moose Hide Campaign Day is rooted in Indigenous ceremony, fasting from sunup to sundown, and will host free virtual workshops and stream video of the day’s ceremony and organized solidarity walk from Victoria, BC.
Since 2011, the Campaign has distributed over 4 million one-inch square moose hide pins free of charge to communities, schools and workplaces across Turtle Island. Wearing the pin is a pledge to honour, respect and protect the women and children in one’s life and speak out against gender-based and domestic violence. The hides are primarily donated from hunters who have harvested the meat but would otherwise discard the hides.
Campaign cofounder Raven Lacerte spoke to the Leading Change Summit audience via Zoom from Victoria, BC.
“Domestic violence thrives in the shadows. We see these moose hide pins as little flashlights acting to help bring the issue out of the darkness and into the light.”
Thousands of communities across Turtle Island have held Moose Hide Campaign events and joined the annual Moose Hide Campaign Day ceremony and fast. People of all ages, genders and backgrounds are invited to take part in Moose Hide Campaign activities on Thursday, and every day. Register for the livestream, find educators’ K-12 resources, or order free moose hide pins (authentic or synthetic) at moosehidecampaign.ca.
This past Friday, communities across Turtle Island gathered to observe Red Dress Day, a national day of awareness and remembrance for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people (MMIWG2S+).
Here at home, the local Firekeepers Women’s Society partnered with Medicine Hat Community Housing Society and Medicine Hat College to host a memorial. Elder Charlie Fox of Kainai Nation brought prayers and survivors shared acimowina (Cree, stories). Community members, friends and relatives wore red and joined in a walk past red dresses blowing in the wind, hanging from trees lining the college boulevard, and joined hands in a nanatawihowin wasakam (healing circle) while the mistikwaskihk (drum) thundered in a round dance led by the Wild Tongues Drum Group.
Ahead of Red Dress Day, creative studio Flag 5 photographed local Indigenous women wearing their ribbon skirts for a tribute to the resiliency of their spirits. Boylan Imaging provided large prints of the photos displayed at the College on Friday evening.
“It was an honour to be a part of the MMIWG2S Tribute, and meet twenty remarkable Indigenous women in our community,” writes Flag 5 owner Melissa Chinski. “The conversations we had were positive, inspiring, and highlighted a deep sense of cultural pride.
“Being photographed can make anyone feel vulnerable. The courage for each of these women to let me take their portrait, voluntarily tell me about themselves, and share what their skirt means to them is commendable,” shared Chinski.
“My ribbon skirt stands for having regained my identity and broken connections,” says Miywasin Friendship Centre staff Brandi Wilcox. “Interconnectedness is integral to my culture and each ribbon stands for the broken connections that have now since been repaired. You’re allowed to scream, you’re allowed to cry, but never give up!”
“We will honour our mother

All the life that she breathes
Standing up for each other
In harmony with spirits free”

– from The Warrior’s Call, performed by Stephanie Harpe and Royce Rak at the Leading Change Summit 2023.