Women's river journey a cry for action

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About two-dozen Aboriginal women participated in a river rafting journey that began in Prince George on Sept. 10 and ended in Vancouver at Riverside Park on Sept. 25. The journey was organized by the Aboriginal Women's Action Network (AWAN) as part of World March of Women 2000.

"Since World March activities are focusing on ending poverty and violence, we decided to participate in the march using the river, a traditional means of transportation and communication for Aboriginal communities," said Audrey Huntley, a research coordinator for AWAN.

As the women traveled down the river, they stopped at various Aboriginal communities to hold focus groups and rallies to educate people about the impact of poverty and violence in the lives of women and children in First Nations communities. Focus groups were held at Prince George, Soda Creek, Lillooet and Yale. Rallies were held in Quesnel, Lytton, Cheam, New Westminster and Riverside Park in Vancouver.

During the stop in Lytton, there were at least 50 women who had come out to take part in the rally, providing them with an opportunity to speak out and be heard about how violence is being addressed, or not addressed, in their communities, as well as by authorities.

"Aboriginal women have a safe space here, not only to tell their stories, but to discuss the solutions as well, said Terry Brown, a participant in the journey and the first Aboriginal president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women.

Brown slammed the Canadian government for their lack of commitment to Canadian women.

"They have promised millions of dollars to front-line services who have yet to see those funds. Do they not understand that through their inaction, they are themselves accomplices in the brutality against women?"

After the rafters left Lytton, they journeyed into "Hell's Gate," a turbulent and narrow canyon along the Fraser River. The following day, they pulled into Hope at the Telle-Yet campsite where they witnessed the unveiling of a totem pole. The pole was erected to honor, respect and recognize Aboriginal women, men and children affected by Bill C- 31 and its process.

"While we are honoring the people whose status was "re-instated" after a 14 year battle around C-31, we cannot forget that we have a long way to go yet," said Brown. "Aboriginal women who married non-status men may have won back some status but their children haven't," she explained.

The rafters then moved along to their next stop and as they disembarked, they raised their fists to the air singing a Ste'tli'mx song known as the "Women's Warrior Song."

Chief June Quipp and other members of the Cheam Band were waiting downstream on the beach preparing a feast for the rafters.

The following day the rafters arrived at Riverside Park in Vancouver on Musqueam territory where they took part in the Aboriginal Women's Day of Action rally. With the support of the World March of Women 2000 steering committee of the Vancouver area, a celebration was organized for the culmination of their journey.

Aboriginal women from all across the province and beyond, particularly those who are involved in anti-violence work, were invited to join the rafting trip. The women had the choice to participate in the whole journey or certain portions. They traveled on two river rafts with huge pontoons. The two rafts were capable of holding up to 45 women. The rafts were piled high with gear leaving little space for seating.

Among the participants were front-line workers, Native courtworkers, post-secondary students and political activists. The rafters were pleased with the large number of young women that took part in the journey. They hope to revive the journey on a yearly basis with the youth taking the lead in future years.