Red Dress Day honours Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

By Lethbridge Herald on May 5, 2023.

MMIWG advocate Selena Medicine Shield dances a jingle dress dance during a Red Dress Day event Friday at Galt Gardens. Herald photo by Ian Martens

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – apulido@lethbridgeherald.com

To honour the memories of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) across Canada, the City of Lethbridge and several community partners hosted a fireside connection event at Galt Gardens Friday afternoon.

Indigenous relations advisor for the city of Lethbridge, Charlene Bruised Head-Mountain Horse said May 5 is nationally recognized as Red Dress Day honouring MMIWG, and that it is important to think of the day not as a celebration, but as an opportunity to create awareness and bring the community together in a positive way to acknowledge that this still an issue. 

“There are many disproportionate numbers still being reported of murdered and missing indigenous women, girls, men, two spirited, and so on. So, with events like this it’s pleasing to see such a diverse group of people coming out and recognizing the issue,” said Bruised Head-Mountain Horse. 

She said  to make it easier to people to get more familiar with the issue, and develop an understanding, the City of Lethbridge currently has a toolkit that was prepared as a result of the inquiry into MMIWG. 

“I believe that was completed within the last four years, but the City of Lethbridge leadership has adopted this and created a work plan and as a result our Indigenous relations department has created an ally toolkit that’s available on our website,” said Bruised head-Mountain Horse. 

The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was launched in 2015 to investigate and report on “systemic causes of all forms of violence against Indigenous women and girls,” including social, economic, cultural, institutional, legislative and other causes.

In 2019, the national inquiry released its final report and 231 Calls for Justice. In response to those Calls for Justice, the City and community partners developed the MMIWG Recommendations and Work Plan. 

The work plan includes 25 recommendations and a series of projects aimed at addressing social, economic, cultural and institutional barriers facing Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ peoples in the community.

MMIWG advocate Selena Medicine Shield said it was important for her to share her grandmother’s story during the event, as she was murdered in 1999 and her family is still seeking justice. 

“I actually never got to meet her so I go to all these places and these events, especially children’s schools to make sure that they’re aware and just to share my story, what I’ve been through and my family,” said Medicine Shield. 

She said to see everyone who showed up to the event was very honouring, as well as to being able to listen to other’s stories. 

Medicine Shield danced a jingle dress dance during the event and explained that her dress represented the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. 

“Different cultures have different beliefs but I know in one culture they believe that red is the only colour that spirits can see, so that is why red is the colour for this as we can call our people back home,” said Medicine Shield. 

She said the jingle dress dance is a healing dance which heals the dancer and everyone around both mentally and physically. 

“While I dance, I pray for my loved ones, so it’s very honouring to have a healing day and heal everyone,” said Medicine Shield. 

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