National Day of Awareness for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls & Two-Spirit People
Red Dress Day | May 5th
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Join us in bringing awareness to the epidemic of MMIWG2S+ and MMEIP in a full day focused on support and healing.
AGENDA
8:00 am Pipe Ceremony at Borealis Pond
Pipe Carrier Randy Marten
Borealis Park on Morrison Street
10:00 am Solidarity Walk
11:00 am Community Healing Art at Kiyām Community Park
Light Refreshments Served
Throughout the day transit bus will be available to transport people from Kiyām Community Park back to the Borealis Park parking lot, or, to the 12:30 pm Community Feast at Fort McMurray Legion and then back to Borealis Park parking lot, to your vehicle.
12:30 pm Community Feast at Fort McMurray Legion
Indigenous culture shows respect to our Elders at meals by serving Elders food first. Please be patient and respect any Elders you encounter during the day.
1:00 pm Remarks from Leadership
1:30 pm MMEIP Truth & Healing
Grassroots Advocate Stephanie Harpe
2:00 pm Two-Spirit Inclusion
Inclusion Advocate Mitchel Bowers
2:15 pm Sacred Roles of Women & Men
môsom Robert Cree
2:30 pm Healing Dance
kôkhum Bernadette Dumais
3:30 pm Open Mic
Guests Welcome to Share Stories
4:15 pm Last Transit Bus leaves the Fort McMurray Legion for Borealis Park parking lot
For safety and to respect the current wildfire threat in the region, there will not be a Sacred Fire at Fort McMurray Legion.
Click to download the poster for print.
*The bottom 2-photos are provided by and used with permission of Nicholas Vardy Photography.
PIPE CEREMONY PROTOCOL
All are welcome to participate in the Red Dress Day Pipe Ceremony.
We are all on a path of learning and growing. Knowledge Keepers will be available to guide you if you are unsure how to participate.
Please respect and follow the protocols below and any directions from the Pipe Carriers during the Pipe Ceremony.
Please remove hats, eyeglasses, and metal jewelry while participating in the Ceremony.
Please remain silent and save conversations for after the Ceremony.
The Ceremony is sacred, please respect that photos or videos are not allowed during the Ceremony.
Women are asked to wear a long skirt or wrap a blanket around their legs during the Ceremony.
Women are considered spiritually powerful during their Moon Time (menstruation); therefore, they do not actively participate in ceremonies. Everyone is welcome to watch and listen, but we ask that women on their Moon Time refrain from sitting in the circle and participating out of respect for the customs and traditions of the Pipe Ceremony.
Once the Ceremony is over, it is customary to shake hands with other participants before leaving.
Parking
We are expected many people to join us for the Pipe Ceremony and Walk. Please consider carpooling with your family, friends, and co-workers to Borealis Park.
Follow the Red Dress Day signs that will be posted along the roadway to the parking lot nearest the Haxton Centre. Please be courteous to others and do not double-park or box-in another vehicle. Please do not park along the road, as this can hinder emergency vehicle access if needed.
Overflow parking is located the in the field along Morimoto Drive, or at the Snye Point Boat Launch.
Transportation back to your vehicle
The Solidarity Walk will take participants to Kiyām Community Park for a Community Healing Art project. Throughout the day transit bus will be available to transport people from Kiyām Community Park back to their vehicle, or, to the 12:30 pm Community Feast at Fort McMurray Legion and then back to Borealis Park parking lot to your vehicle.
The last transit bus will leave the Fort McMurray Legion at 4:15 pm after the Sacred Fire is extinguished.