Missing and murdered women remembered

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The people who gathered together at the White Buffalo Youth Lodge in Saskatoon on Dec. 10 likely didn't need a reminder of why they were there, but one was provided anyway. At the front of the room stood 12 empty chairs draped in blankets, representing absent mothers, sisters and daughters.

The theme of the afternoon gathering was E-kiskisiyak Iskwewuk-Remembering the Women. Several of those in attendance were family members of women who are missing or have been murdered, and a number of them shared their experiences and emotions with the audience.

Dana Muskego, the 17-year- old brother of Daleen Bosse (Muskego), voiced his frustration over the disappointing investigation that followed his sister's disappearance 17 months ago.

"The police waited half a year to do something," he said passionately, adding that the person who initially found her car wiped clean all fingerprints then had as much time to prepare his statement.

Barb Badger, the aunt of teen Shelley Napope, one of the victims of serial killer John Crawford, talked about the pain of vicious rumours going around her community that hurt her family.

Speaking quietly and simply, Val Smokeyday, the mother of Melanie Geddes, who has been missing since August 2005, talked about her daughter and the three children she left behind. Leaving the mike, she returned to the table and wept.

The forum was the first effort by a newly created interagency group called Missing Aboriginal Women to raise public awareness of the subject. It was also a chance for Premier Lorne Calvert to talk about the government's commitment to partner with the First Nations people in addressing the issue.

Two separate but strongly linked concerns came to the fore during an emotional afternoon of sombre reflection. The first was addressed by Calvert in his opening remarks.

"The issue of missing women is a tragedy," the premier said, citing the Amnesty International Report that profiled nine women, including four from Saskatchewan.

The first speaker to be welcomed to the platform during the forum, Calvert praised the women who are forging ahead to find answers.

"Saskatchewan women are showing national leadership," he said.

Calvert also outlined the Missing Persons Strategy, pledged in the November throne speech, as being a program that will make sure "investigations of missing persons are never closed."

The three-part strategy brings with it increased resources for policing, a province-wide system to improve how cases are handled and an improvement of current partnerships between police, Metis and First Nations through information sharing networks.

The second issue to be probed by local, provincial and national representatives was that of violence against Aboriginal women.

"Saskatchewan has the highest rate of violence against women," said Judy Hughes, vice-president of the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Women's Circle Corporation (SAWCC).

One of the women showing national leadership is Sandra Opikokew, president of SAWCC and member of the board of directors of the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC). Her presentation on the issue brought to vivid life the painful reality of the lost sisters.

"Violence against Aboriginal women is at a most critical level," she said. In March 2004, NWAC had their official launch of the Sisters in Spirit Campaign in Ottawa in response to the alarmingly high level of violence against First Nation women. Now Saskatchewan is first in Canada to launch the campaign at the provincial level. The launch took place the evening of Dec. 10 at the Best Western in Saskatoon.

During her presentation, Opikokew read through a list of all the missing Aboriginal women in Saskatchewan, followed by a moment of silence.

As important as hearing about the government's new strategy, the Sisters in Spirit campaign and the pain of the families affected, the forum also acknowledged the spiritual side of the issue. After speaking briefly, Elder Walter Linklater walked oer to the empty chairs and prepared for a smudging. He smudged each of the chairs, then went on to smudge others in attendance, including friends and family of the missing women and spiritual leaders in the community.