Akwesasne Honors 'Sisters in Spirit' with Families in Spirit Candlelight Vigil

October 4th is a day where we honor the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). The violence experienced by Indigenous women and girls in Canada and the United States is a tragedy. We must take the time to give thanks to the families who are our reason for demanding continued action.

The Sister In Spirit (SIS) initiative began in 2005 when they conducted ongoing research that gathered statistical information on violence against Aboriginal women. The SIS research proved that there are more than 582 missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls in this country. SIS continues to update their database as well as track new cases every week. With this information, SIS investigated the root causes of violence against our mothers, daughters, sisters, aunties and grandmother.

The October 4th Sisters In Spirit Vigils is a movement for social change. The number of SIS Vigils has grown from 11 in 2006 to an impressive 216 vigils in 2016.

Family members, Indigenous community members, and concerned citizens gather for a vigil every October 4th to honor the memory of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Vigils will take place in many communities across Canada as well as internationally. These gatherings serve to raise awareness and to provide support to families who have lost a loved one.

Locally, The Seven Dancers Coalition and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe teamed together to host 'The Families in Spirit' gathering on October 5th, 2017 at Generations Park. The gathering will begin at 6PM and include words of welcome, a moment of silence, a women's group opening song, speakers and a candlelight vigil with hot chocolate.

Amie Barnes, Seven Dancers Coalition stated, "'Families in Spirit' is a family focused event intended for the whole community."

She added, "Everyone has had some kind of death in their lives, and this is a way to show them there is support out there and that there is a good thing that can come out of the healing...eventually. We would like to honor the memory of the person lost and their life...not their death. There are many forms of trauma, and grief from sexual assault, domestic violence, addictions, death, etc. and we would like to educate the community and celebrate our loved ones and to show that was a community – We Will Rise – in spirit of all our adversaries."

Other area gatherings include:

Kanesatake, QC – The Quebec Native Women Mohawk Nation of Kanesatake will be hosting a march on October 4th, 2017 from 6 PM to 8PM.

Kingston, ON – A group of organizations will be hosting a vigil on October 4th, 2017 at the Tyendinaga Powwow grounds from 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM. The hosting organizations are the Sexual Assault Centre Kingston, Amnesty International Napanee, ONWA, Ontario Native Women's Association Tyendinaga, Red Cedars, Kingston Interval House.

Ottawa, ON – The RCMP will be hosting a moment of silence at the RCMP Headquarters in Ottawa, ON at 11 am on October 4th 2017. The RCMP Headquarters is located at 73 Leikin Drive, Ottawa, ON. ACFO in Ottawa will be hosting a moment of silence on October 4th 2017 at 1 PM.