‘It’s their truths and their trauma’: Tkemlúps te Secwépemc commemorates Red Dress Day

“I just wanted to bring up the fact of the Pickton farm. I know the guy died and everything, but [Crystal’s escape] was just one night out of everything before he was caught.”

Held every May 5, the red dresses symbolize the violence against indigenous women, who face disproportionately high rates of violence in Canada.

“An event like this here today is so important for community,” Tkemlúps te Secwépemc Kúkwpi7 Rosanne Casimir said. “It’s for those who have been impacted directly to feel supported, to feel heard but also to have that awareness.”

“[It also shows] just how important it is for all levels of government to support missing and murdered Indigenous women.”

Other speakers at Tuesday’s event also acknowledged the importance of men coming face-to-face with their abuses, instead of the onus being put on women, girls and survivors – as has been the case for years.

“I’m really happy there is a murdered and missing boys and men (acknowledgment) like the Moose Hide campaign,” Tkemlúps elder Connie Jules said. “It is really good to see the men come out and join us because we need that balance.”

That sentiment was also shared by this year’s special guest, author and former journalist Angela Sterritt from the Gitxsan Nation in northwestern British Columbia.

“We need all genders to show up for our relatives who are no longer here because of this crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls and two-spirit people,” Sterritt said. “We need our men, we need our boys, we need our gender-diverse relatives to come together as one.”

Sterritt also touched on the importance of believing Indigenous people when they tell their stories about their relatives.

“There are a lot of statistics to show men are also victims of that violence, but also by men, so we need to be more active in our language,” Sterritt added. “Men’s violence against women, men assaulted women, men sexually abused women or boys or gender diverse relatives, men and boys impregnated girls. This makes the harm visible and accountable.”

Red Dress Day dates back to 2010, and there is optimism that progress is being made and that more people are listening and holding space for Indigenous people.

“When it comes to those who have been directly impacted, it’s their truths, their trauma and it’s those they’ve lost,” Casimir said. “It’s so important for everyone to be supportive every day and not just May 5.”

“For those who are living in that pain and trauma, it’s important to be standing there and supporting them, or reaching out to them and not forgetting they have lived that loss and that grief.”

by Victor Kaisar

‘It’s their truths and their trauma’: Tkemlúps te Secwépemc commemorates Red Dress Day

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