'Life flows forever': Sagkeeng First Nation unveils MMIWG monument

Families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girlsgathered in Sagkeeng First Nation onan emotional Wednesday afternoon under the sweltering sunfor the unveiling of a special monument.

"I'll be thinking of my granddaughter" when she looks at it, Janet Bruyere said. She lives in the community of about 3,000 people, about 120 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, where affected families from across the province united to remember what happened to their loved ones.

"Istill wait for her calls."

Tears filled Bruyere's eyes as memories of her deceased granddaughter flooded her thoughts.She spoke about her reaction to thebronze statue of a young girl wearing a jingle dress adorned in flowers to represent the families searching forpeace after so much heartbreak and loss.

"It's hard. It's just like opening another wound again," she said.

FonassaBruyere, 17,was last seen on Aug. 9, 2007, in Winnipeg before her body was found 11 days later in a field northwest of the city. Her grandmother said the teenwasstabbed 17 times. Her killer has never been found.

"She's always in my heart. I'll never forget. I don't know if I'll ever be able to let go," Bruyere said, reminded ofFonassa's smile, her jokes and her dancing.

Ayear after they buried her, the family moved back to the community, Bruyere said. Sheknows she's not alone in her pain and suffering there. Sagkeeng First Nationhas the highest rate of missing and murdered of any community in Canada.

"Iknow how they feel," she said about other affected families.

"I feel the same way."

Never forget

An advocate working with the grandmothers and familiesexplained the significance ofthe statueknown as Kakigay-Pimitchy-Yoong Pimatizwin, which translates into "life flows forever."

"Life is always flowing," said Lillian Cook, who helped co-ordinate the memorial.

The artist behind the metallic monumentbased it on a plaster model of his own daughter. Wayne Stranger, who also designed the buffalo statue poised in front ofthe Indigenous student centre at the University of Manitoba, spent 1years working on the monument.

Cook said the imagerepresents the missing and murdered women and girls who may have endured abuse, violence and trauma during their lifetimes.

"Even when you step on a flower, the flower will stand up.And if you keep stepping on that flower, the flower keeps standing up until she falls and can't stand no more," Cook said.

Missing and murdered men and boys are also remembered through a scarf wrapped in the girl's hands as she dances, Cook said.

"They all have a little story in there[a] little bit of pieces, little bit of things that are on the monument represents each one of the families," she said.

"And for the girls that love to dance, this is theirs."

Crystal McLeanjoined her grandmother for the unveiling ceremony. She previously struggled with methamphetamineduring her younger years, butquitusingthe substance before she became another statistic. McLeanbegan her healing journey on a walk for her murdered relative Fonassa.

"We wanted our own monument for the grandmothers so their loved ones won't be forgotten," McLean said.

"It's just like an open wound that's never going to close. Never going to close until we find out what happened to her. Somebody out there took her and murdered her. And we want to know why."

While many of the questions raised by the families may not be answered as investigations run dry and cases turn cold, McLean and her grandmother hope the monument brings peace and healing to their community.

Sagkeeng First Nation walk calls for inquiry into missing, murdered indigenous women

9 years ago

Duration 2:14

Families from Sagkeeng First Nation started walking from their home community Sunday morning calling for an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW). They're headed for the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg and hope to arrive Tuesday.