Sisters in Spirit vigils and walks are held annually every October 4, the National Day of Action for MMIWG, honouring the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, transgender and gender-diverse people.
In June 2019, the MMIWG National Inquiry released its final report, showing that “persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.”
See the profiles of some of the missing and murdered using CBC’s Case Explorer.
The MMIWG crisis support call line is available to provide support for anyone who requires assistance. This line is available free of charge, 24/7. Please call 1-844-413-6649 if you or someone you know needs help or support.
Together We Drum, Our Hearts Beat as One by Willie Poll and Chief Lady Bird
An Anishinaabe girl searching for adventure goes on a transformative journey into a forest on her traditional territory. She is joined by a chorus of women and girls in red dresses, ancestors who tell her they remember what it was like to be carefree and wild, too. Soon, though, the girl is challenged by a monster named Hate. Ages 3-8.
Why We Dance: A Story of Hope and Healing by Deidre Havrelock
Emerging historically in response to the global influenza pandemic of 1918-19, the Jingle Dress Dance is a ceremonial dance of healing and prayer. Lyrically and rhythmically, Why We Dance celebrates a proud Indigenous tradition that inspires hope, resilience, and unity. Ages 4-8.
The Circle by Katherena Vermette
The Circle is the third and final companion novel to Vermette's bestsellers The Break and The Strangers. Told from various perspectives, with an unforgettable voice for each chapter, the book is masterfully structured as a Restorative Justice Circle where all gather — both the victimized and the accused — to take account of a crime that has altered the course of their lives.
Becoming a Matriarch by Helen Knott
Having lost her mom and grandmother in just over six months, forced to navigate the fine lines between matriarchy, martyrdom and codependency, Helen Knott realizes she must let go, not just of the women who raised her but of the woman she thought she was. Woven into the pages are themes of mourning, sobriety through loss, and generational dreaming.
The Narrows of Fear (Wapawikoscikanik) by Carol Rose GoldenEagle
The Narrows of Fear (Wapawikoscikanik) weaves the stories of a group of women committed to helping one another. Despite abuse experienced by some, these women learn to celebrate their culture and its elders. Principal of these elders is Nina, the advisor at the women’s shelter. With the help of Sandy and Charlene, Nina uses Indigenous practices to heal the traumatized Mary Ann.
In the Hands of Men by Gin Sexsmith
Haunted by the loss of her cousin, Cedar, Delilah has curated a world of revenge: playing judge, jury and executioner while searching for love. Maybe murdering gives her the control she craves. Maybe it fills the gaping hole that was left when Cedar disappeared. Perhaps her rage is ancestral, dating back to the Indigenous women before her whose cases were closed without much of a search.
A Family of Dreamers by Samantha Nock
In this debut collection, Samantha Nock weaves threads of fat liberation, desirability politics and heartbreak while working through her existence as a young Indigenous woman coming of age in the city. The result is a love song to northern cuzzins, dive bars and growing up.
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