They are...

"They are the keepers of the flame for more than thousands of missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada"- R.B.Canwest News Service

Sisters In Spirit Logo

"Grandmother Moon is a powerful teaching about Aboriginal women’s special connection to our Grandmothers who have passed into the Spirit world. Grandmother Moon provides us direction, strength, knowledge and wisdom in taking our sacred place in our families, communities and beyond. She teaches us about our sacred role as the life-givers and the heart of our nations — for without women our nations cannot go on. We need Grandmother Moon’s presence in our lives now more than ever, especially for our young women who live in the dark and struggle to live in the light". - Native Women's Association of Canada

Singing "Sisters In Spirit"

The Sisters In Spirit Initiative

The primary objective of the Sisters In Spirit (SIS) initiative is to address violence faced by Aboriginal (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) women, specifically sexualized and/or racialized violence- that is, violence committed against Aboriginal women based on their identity and gender. Sisters in Spirit aims to minimize the risks and increase the security and safety of Aboriginal women in Canada in hopes of improving gender equality and the participation of Aboriginal women in social, economic, political and cultural spheres of Canadian society.

SIS aims to:

• + Increase knowledge concerning the magnitude of sexualized and racialized violence perpetrated against Aboriginal women in Canada.

• + Increase understanding of the global effects as a result of continued sexualized and racialized violence against Aboriginal women.

• + Eliminate myths about missing and murdered Aboriginal women by highlighting the realities of sexualized and racialized violence.

Source: http://www.nwac-hq.org/en/background.html

Why do Sisters In Spirit Organize?

Over the past two decades, as much as 500 Aboriginal women have gone missing in various communities across Canada. Yet Canadian society, government, and the media continue to stay silent. Aboriginal women continue to be targets of violence and hatred based on their race and gender; they are disrespected, dishonoured, objectified, and murdered, and do not receive justice. Sisters in Spirit organize to bring respect and honour back to the "Sisters In Spirit" who have gone missing and been murdered.

There are a number of benefits of Sisters In Spirit for Aboriginal families and communities. Sisters In Spirit...

• + Help to validate the experiences of the families, create necessary networks, and promote healing

• + Reassure families that their loved one is presented justly, without prejudice or stereotype

• + Target root causes of violence, creating prevention strategies in which families can learn to recognize various risks
  

• + Provide tools to assist families in navigating the justice system

• + Raise national awareness

Sources: http://www.united-church.ca/aboriginal/rights/sis#background
http://www.nwac-hq.org/en/background.html

The Annual Sisters In Spirit Walk

The purpose of the Sisters In Spirit campaign is to raise awareness of the alarmingly high rates of violence against Aboriginal Women in Canada and to honour and remember Aboriginal women who are missing and/or have been murdered. The Sisters In Spirit Walk is held annually to raise awareness concerning abuse against women. The walk is held in a different Mi'kmaw community each year in which everyone of all ages is encouraged to attend.

Sisters In Spirit - Vigil 2008

4th Annual Vigil On Parliament Hill

Violence, Social Condtions, and Justice of Aborginal Women

Sisters In Spirit, a federally funded initiative that was launched by the Native Women's Association of Canada in 2005, emphasizes that the tragedy of missing and murdered Aboriginal women is deeply rooted in the history of the discrimination and dispossession of Aboriginals.

• + The violence faced by Aboriginal women can be traced back to colonialism. Due to colonization, Aboriginal women are subject to both sexism and racism as they are seen not only as women but also as Aboriginal. They are frequently dehumanized and objectified in sexist and racist stereotypes which, consequently, put these women at a great risk of emotional, sexual, and physical violence.

• + Prior to colonization, Aboriginal women were held in a position of honour and were seen as the closest to Mother Earth and Creation. Colonization took away their position as it destroyed Aboriginal structures and traditions.

• + The Canadian justice system has played a large role in creating the poor social conditions in today's Aboriginal communities. The justice system has not provided them with the necessary protection against oppression but has instead been a tool of the oppression Aboriginals face through the imposition of residential schools, and denial of both Aboriginal land claims and control over their own communities.

• + Aboriginal women face a "double Jeopardy" as they are discriminated against first because they are women and second because they are Aboriginal.

• + The discrimination against Aboriginal women based on both their race and their sex is apparent in the lack of action and response of law enforcement to violence and oppression against these women.

"... jurisdictional tangles and cultural blind spots help explain why so many killings and so many vanished women have been relegated to the cold-case file." - Canwest News Service

Sources: http://www.aboriginalcanada.gc.ca/acp/site.nsf/eng/ao26596.html
http://www.globallethbridge.com/world/Part+Sisters+Spirit+shines+light+missing+aboriginal+women/2124621/story.html

Violence Against Native American Women

Course Connections and Further Readings

Discussed throughout the study of feminisms and related liberatory movements, race and gender-based oppression is an issue and theme that continues to carry on in state policies and in society. Gender has played an intersectional role in the escalated rate of violence against women. The violence that Aboriginal women face is largely brought about by an orientalist imagery in which people of the society have viewed Aboriginals as the "other". The extent to which Aboriginals are seen as the "other" within the colonial discourse demonstrates the success of sexual violence among racist and colonial forces in destroying the humanity of Aboriginal peoples.

The history and consequences of colonization are multifaceted and far-reaching. Andrea Smith, a well-known Native American activist, scholar, and author, reveals important connections between various forms of violence perpetrated by the state and society in her book, Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide.Conquest emphasizes the use of sexual violence as a tool of patriarchy and colonialism particularly in Aboriginal communities, both historically and in present day.

Questions for Thought

• + Who are the Sisters in Spirit?

• + What is their vision of liberation?
  

• + What are their goals?

• + Who supports SIS and what do they support?

• + Would you attend one of their annual walks?

• + If you could suggest something that they should do, what would it be?

• + Do you think SIS is successful in regards to their aim?

• + Why do you think that this organization is not as known as it should be?

• + Do you think SIS is doing justice to missing and murdered Aboriginal women?