Two Aboriginal women would be assaulted, either sexually or by domestic violence, in the time it took for a stream of walkers to travel from Maht Mahs gym to Victoria Quay in Port Alberni Oct. 4, said Tseshaht Chief Councillor Hugh Braker.
He was speaking to the people who honored the invitation to join Tseshaht in the walk to raise awareness about violence towards aboriginal women, and to remember the Indigenous women who have been murdered or had gone missing across Canada. Estimates put that number at 600-plus.
Braker said the issue of violence against women is one that touches everyone. In Tseshaht, the issue was particularly poignant for one family, which has been informed that their mother has been named a victim of serial killer Robert Willie Pickton.
It was the second year the walk was held by Tseshaht, and each year leading the group has been Deb Foxcroft, the newly-elected president of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council.
When the group made it to the Tseshaht Administration Building, where a tree was planted last year in commemoration, Foxcroft asked for a moment of silence to remember the women—mothers, sisters and aunts—that have gone missing or were murdered.
“On behalf of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, it’s a proud day to be standing here, not only as a leader, but a woman,” she said. She thanked the men who joined in the walk for standing with the women.
“This is not just a women’s issue.”
She said society needs to stop putting aboriginal women in a position of fear, and noted the effect violence in the home has on the children.
“Stop the violence today, and going forward,” Foxcroft said.
It took about an hour for the walkers to reach the Welcome Figures at Victoria Quay. Once there, Foxcroft read the Declaration of Nuu-chah-nulth Women, constructed and adopted at an NTC assembly in 1989. Full text of the Declaration is at the bottom of this report.
She acknowledged the women and children that took part in the walk, adding it was important for the children to witness it.
Gina Pearson, a Tseshaht First Nation band councilor, said the men on the walk showed their respect for the women of the community by their participation.
She said she walked for her daughters who have suffered pain in their lives, “as I have.”
“We are all still here and teaching the younger women to respect themselves.” She hoped that the walk would continue in the future, and that the crowd would be bigger and better in the years to come.
Priscilla Sabbas-Watts also spoke at the event, saying her number one job is to be a mother to her two boys and little girl.
As unfortunate as it is, she said, each person knows someone or has witnessed or experienced violence towards women. And all should take a stand against it to say that it’s not acceptable.
She said it was a very emotional day, and she had a lot running through her mind and her heart.
She thanked her father who stresses the importance of respect and love shown to women, and her brother Jeff, and husband Ken, the vice-president of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, who demonstrate that love and respect of women and who stand against violence. Both attended the walk with their children.
“The Strength Of The Indian Nation Is In Their Women,
No Nation Is A Nation Unless There Are Women To Bear The Children Of The Future”
DECLARATION OF THE NUU-CHAH-NULTH WOMEN
Nuu-chah-nulth Women, givers of life, are Mothers, Daughters, Grandmothers, Granddaughters, Aunts, Nieces, Sisters, Teachers and Friends.
We treasure the values and traditions we have been taught; they have sustained us during the many changes throughout history;
We take pride in our culture, heritage and traditions, and we honour and respect our Elders and their teachers;
We are responsible for the health and safety of our children and our families, and we seek to ensure that our children will always be protected;
We believe in the strength of our family ties, and assert our right to always retain the love of our immediate and extended families;
We have the right to be respected in spirit, mind, and body and to live free from sexual, physical, verbal and emotional abuse;
We have the right to love and be loved, care and be cared for, protect and be protected;
We have the right to be heard and to be treated as partners in our relationships with family and friends;
We have the right to be individuals, to make our own choices and to pursue our personal goals;
We respect ourselves, and we will be respected;
We will teach our children by example, and we will ensure the well-being of future generations of Nuu-chah-nulth is not jeopardized in any way;
We recognize changes in our society, and we will call upon our strengths to live with those changes in a manner consistent with our traditions and values;
We will maintain integrity and pride in being Nuu-chah-nulth Women.
“Honouring and Respecting Our Women”
Adopted at the 1989 Nuu-chah-nulth Annual Assembly
