Mi'kmaq band building a space to remember missing and murdered indigenous women, girls

It's a space for cultural and ceremonial gatherings.

It's a site for contemplation and healing.

And the Qalipu First Nation says it's an important step in honouring the lives of western Newfoundland's missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

The commemorative garden planned for the Majestic Lawn in Corner Brook is a project of the Qalipu Mi'kmaq band. The dedicatory space is in its early stages of development but the hope is it will be open for Oct. 4, the day to honour lost women and girls.

"For some it may seem like an inquiry issue that is very far removed from here, locally, and our Indigenous community, but that's not the case," said Tara Saunders, the Qalipu First Nation's acting director of community development. "There are families and victims in our own backyard. It's really nice to give them a voice doing projects like this."

The commemorative garden will be in Qalipu's front yard literally. Outside the band's office on Church Street is the Majestic Lawn. A small corner of that green space has been donated by the City of Corner Brook to house the garden.

Qalipuhired Tract Consulting to do conceptual drawings of the area and what the garden will look. Preliminary designs include elements of a medicine wheel. It will be 7 metres in diameterand accommodate around 100 people. Indigenous artistJenny Brake Stricklandhelped design the inner circle of the garden, which will feature artwork of women and girls holding hands.

"It's something that doesn't have to dig down into the ground or anything like that, and it's transferable to other locations," said Saunders.

"We're very hopeful that we can work with our communities within our territory because we are very far-reaching and have these spaces for our membership throughout our province," Saunders said.

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An inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls found they are 16 times more likely to be slain or to disappear than white women.

According to Statistics Canada, Indigenous women and girls made up almost one-quarter of all female homicide victims in Canada between 2001 and 2015.

Released in 2019, the inquiry recommended Ottawa establish "robust and well-funded Indigenous civilian police oversight bodies" to prevent police negligence and misconduct in rape and sexual assault cases.

The Qalipu initiative is meant to be a regional gathering space, said Saunders, and Corner Brook is accessible to most of Qalipu's membership.

She says not only will it be a place to remember but also serve as a reminder to raise awareness for the future.

"[It's]not just to honour and remember the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls from the past but to also to ensure that in the future we do better," Saunders said.

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