'It really hits home': MMIWG walk, story sharing held by Yorkton Tribal Council on Red Dress Day

Yorkton, Sask. -

It was a day filled with chilling stories for Yorkton Tribal Council (YTC), as it held its second annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) walk through the community.

Roughly 150-200 people participated in the walk Friday morning, from YTC’s head office building on King Street to City Centre Park, where its new tipi was visible for each and every speaker to take the podium.

Following the walk, multiple Chiefs and local dignitaries spoke of what the day means to them, and its importance.

However, it wasn’t until half of a dozen individuals impacted by the crisis of MMIWG spoke that the words began opening the eyes of the crowd.

“[She] was unfortunately beaten to death on Facebook, and her video was shown all across social media,” said Natasha Crowe-Buffalo, in reference to her late niece.

“She was murdered May 26, 2010 in Regina. She was just out with family, and she was shot in the backyard,” said another individual impacted by the crisis.

For Tribal Chief Isobel O’Soup, the event was to bring not just awareness, but faces to the crisis.

“We need to hear it, all of us. You see the red shirt, you see the hand print, it doesn’t really hit home until you hear the stories. And what their families are going through and are still going through,” she said.

“It really hits home, for everybody.”

The event lasted throughout the morning and into the early afternoon, with promises of a bigger event for 2024.