Defense Demonstration Part of Missing and Murdered Native American Women Event

In the Akwesasne Housing Authority training room, booming voices could be heard singing in honor of the many women who have gone missing and murdered over the years. The Missing and Murdered Native American Women Awareness (MMNAW) meeting opened with Harvey Herne and Pray Lazore singing in honor of said women and the still-grieving families. After they were done they thanked everyone for coming to the MMNAW Awareness meeting.

The was also an introduction to Sarah Rourke who works for the National Inquiry, a legal process that is rooted in traditional and cultural awareness. Separate from the Canadian government, NI is dedicated to protecting indigenous women, two-spirit, LGBTQ, young and old, from violence.

Rourke said that what she does in the department as "[We, the National Inquiry] are bringing justice, bringing transparency, and a voice to those who have to live with this horrible reality every day."

Which she does to advocate in different communities, speaking and hoping to encourage and empower those survivors and raise awareness to this unfortunate reality.

After Rourke, Keena King and Jonel Beauvais went up to sing, for Beauvais, it would be the first time she sang in front of a crowd. Their songs too would honor those who suffer as well as those who are still here.

They invited up Rourke to sing with them for one last song before everyone broke for lunch, provided by the Three Sisters Program, after which a Self-Defense Demonstration with Ryan King, Sheldon Cole, and Johnny Barwell who would demonstrate several easy ways for someone to defend themselves if the time came. They demonstrated several easy punches as well as how to shield oneself from an attacker and how to fight them off. King said that he would like to open a free self-defense class and is already in talks of doing so.