On Sunday, June 19, 2022 (Father’s Day) a walk will be held to honour and acknowledge not only fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers and sons, but also murdered and missing Indigenous men and boys.
The Warriors Walk will take place in Brandon, Winnipeg, Roseau River, Swan Lake, Long Plain, Dakota Plains, Dakota Tipi, Portage la Prairie, Sioux Valley, Birdtail and Canupawakpa as part of an initiative through the Ohitika/Ogichidaa Program with Dakota Ojibway Child & Family Services.
According to a media release, the Warriors Walk is in “support of the Beaded Tie Campaign that was launched late in 2021 through the Ohitika/Ogichidaa initiatives that brings dialogue back to the importance of creating a narrative on the topic of our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Men (MMIMB) and Boys.”
Indigenous men in Canada are at the highest risk of being victims of homicide. In fact, according to Statistics Canada data, approximately 2,500 Indigenous people were murdered in Canada between 1982 and 2011, out of 15,000 total murders. Of those 2,500 murdered Indigenous people, 71 per cent were male.
“We are also advocating that our communities host a vigil and light a candle for a loved one, a friend, a brother, a father, a grandfather and uncle or a son. Create a post on your social media page to create awareness; learn more about MMIM and Boys in your community, region, province and across Canada; and start a local conversation about the need for more actions.” The Warriors Walk will also bring us together as community in celebrating our Fathers and Men who do great things for our families, communities and in staying strong.
The Brandon Cante Waste Akicita (Good Hearted Warriors) Men’s Group will start their walk at Brandon’s Keystone Centre at 1:00 pm.
