'Spreading light and love': Sisters in Spirit march honours MMIWG

Songs of solidarity filled the hallways of MacEwan University Tuesday for the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

A Sisters in Spirit march was held at MacEwan University in honour of missing women, girls and two-spirit people – and the families and communities that grieve them.

The walk, one of many events happening across Canada, covered five buildings on the MacEwan campus, led by Knowledge Keeper Shuel-let-qua Q:olosoet, who also goes by Cynthia Jim. It ended at the kihêw waciston, the Indigenous centre at MacEwan with a teaching by Shuel-let-qua Q:olosoet.

"Many of us have a sister, a cousin, a mother, an auntie or a grandmother who has gone missing," said Shuel-let-qua Q:olosoet. "So this is our way of showing that support, being the voice for those that do not have a voice any longer."

"Many of those that we lost never found their way home, so this was a way of calling their spirits back home."

Shuel-let-qua Q:olosoet said living in a patriarchal society has been systematically violent for all women, and colonialism disrupted the matriarchies of many Indigenous societies. To empower all women, the last song sung at the march was a woman's warrior song, which Shuel-let-qua Q:olosoet said is sung to empower all women.

"We have a whole roster of generational trauma that we are countering. And this is one way of doing it, by spreading light and love and countering that in as many ways as we can through our culture, song, dance and sister and brotherhood."

Lauren and Isabella Alexis know the pain of searching for a loved one, and the cousins marched together holding a flyer of 28-year-old Angela Alexis.

"My sister is missing right now, it's a good way to honour her," Isabella said. "I pray for her every day you know."

Angela has been missing since Aug. 19. She was last seen on Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, west of Edmonton.

Isabella said her family is doing everything they can to find Angela to bring her home to her two children and to a family who has already lost one child, and there is a reward being offered for information on her location.

"It's my second sibling that's gone missing, and it's really heartbreaking," said Isabella, whose older brother has been missing since 2013.

"We need her to come home safely."

Statistics Canada found that the average homicide rate involving Indigenous victims was six times higher than those involving a non-Indigenous victim.

Lauen says behind the numbers are people, and she wants to see more action taken.

"We want to see more done," said Lauren. "Instead of just treating us like a statistic.

"Because we're human beings and like everybody's life matters."

Another Sisters in Spirit march was held at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Tuesday night. 

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Alison MacKinnon