Panel says Indigenous men play important role

Aboriginal men have to step up and play a role in ending violence against Aboriginal women and girls.

“Where are our warriors? Why are they letting this happen to our sisters, daughters, mothers?” asked Deborah Crazyboy, an aspiring educator and student at Mount Royal University. “It’s like a ladder … We need to go to the bottom to find out what’s happening.”

Crazyboy was part of a crowd that filled Mount Royal University’s Ross Glen Theatre on Jan. 20 to listen to a panel on Words & Actions: A Roundtable Discussion of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Indigenous Women’s Rights in Canada. Four women panelists shared their collective wisdom and decades-long struggles to draw attention to the issue and the lack of action in addressing it. All agreed that more education and awareness are needed.

Panelist Beverly Jacobs, former president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada and lead researcher of Amnesty International’s 2004 Stolen Sisters report on murdered and missing Indigenous women, said that while men like Robert Pickton and other serial killers, cannot be overlooked, and Indigenous women and girls are prime targets for human trafficking and sexual exploitation, Indigenous communities are beginning to understand “our own men are attacking women …We are now talking about awareness, prevention, in our own communities.”

A return to traditional customs, disrupted by colonialism and residential schools, is key in Jacob’s view as traditionally, nationhood is about the balance between men and women.

“We have always had equality. How do we bring back our role of our women, bring back respect and honour? We need to come back to our language, tradition, culture, ceremonies, everything that has strengthened us,” said Jacobs. 

Returning to the honour and respect women have received is paramount, said panellist Muriel Stanley Venne, chair of the Aboriginal Commission on Human Rights and Justice and founder of the Institute for the advancement of Advancement of Aboriginal Women. IAAW highlights the celebration of women through the Esquao Awards, which honour the strength and beauty of Aboriginal women, and encourages nominations from family members.

Panellist Josie Nepinak, executive director of Awo Taan Healing Lodge says that change in Aboriginal communities is beginning, but more needs to be done.

“This needs to be part of a national inquiry level, to get to root causes, the issues of who the perpetrators are and dealing with that. Where are the warriors is a big question,” she said. “They have been affected, too. What happened to our men?”

Despite the lack of action the panellists have been advocating for, Stanley Venne spoke out against blaming. “We have an obligation as Indian people to do what we say needs to be done. It needs to be done through good will and lack of blame. Blame will destroy good will.”

Autumn Eaglespeaker, a former student, applauded MRU for bringing the issues to the forefront and was heartened by the well-attended public forum.

“If you have a voice and don’t use it, you are complicit in keeping the people down,” she said.

“Future leaders can influence,” said Nepinak. “We need to work together to create social change.”

Photo caption: Kathy Shailer Provost and Vice-President, Academic Mount Royal University bears witness at Roundtable on Missing and Murdered Women.