Nation-to-nation ribbon skirt exchange honours MMIWG

Dozens of women across the Haudenosaunee Confederacy have helped sew ribbon skirts as a part of exchange between communities to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

"Their voices weren't heard. It's up to us to make sure that they are heard and that they are remembered," said Tracey Printup, a community outreach co-ordinator at Seven Dancers Coalition.

"We wear red to call them home because they're out there somewhere. Anda lot of these families, they've never gotten closure. So it's important to raise awareness for those families and to help them heal."

Seven Dancers isa non-profit based out of Akwesasne, on the border between Ontario, Quebec and New York state, that raises awareness about sexual assault, domestic violence, teen dating violence, stalking, sex trafficking and missing and murdered Indigenous people.

Printup, who is Seneca from Tonawanda, N.Y., works out of the organization's Lockport, N.Y., office. This is the second year that she's organized the exchange.

The exchange occurs around Red Dress Day, which is observed on May 5. Red Dress Day is inspired by Jaime Black's ongoing art series,the REDress Project,to draw attention to MMIWGand coincides with the National Day of Awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in the United States.

Several Haudenosaunee communitiesparticipated in the ribbon skirt exchange,as well as the Shinnecock Indian Nation on Long Island, N.Y., and Indigenous women in St. Catharines, Ont. Some of the women who contributed skirts are family members of MMIWG, or have experienced violence themselves. Others just love to sew, or wanted to learn.

"The stories that were woven into their skirts were just so emotional, but so full of love," said Printup.

Creating a space to learn and share

Women at the De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centrein St. Catharinescontributed 13 skirts. Each was hand-sewn according to Haudenosaunee teachings, said Jackie Labonte, a traditional healing co-ordinator at the centre's Niagara site.

"When someone passes and if we're asked to help or make their outfit, it needs to be done by hand," said Labonte, who is Kanien'keh:ka (Mohawk) from Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario.

Labonte said some participants were first-time sewersbut gathering to sew them created a space for learning and sharing.

"They're all grateful for being a part of the collective and having that opportunity. Some said that they really learned a lot about themselves it's almost like a healing circle," she said.

Skirts being used for education and awareness

In Akwesasne, staff at Seven Dancers and three women who regularly attend their weekly craft night sewed skirts for the exchange.

"They're all women from different backgrounds and some have gone through sexual assault, domestic violence, and none are victims of MMIWG but they have such big hearts," said Tsionatiio Thompson, community outreach worker at Seven Dancers.

The skirts they received in the exchange will be used during presentations to raise awareness of MMIWG.

"Even though we're doing so much in my line of work, I've noticed that there's still gaps and people who don't know what MMIW is and why it's so important," said Thompson.

As for Printup, she hopes the exchange will continue to grow year after year.

"As we continue to move forward, maybe we'll be exchanging ribbon skirts coast to coast and forming some kind of sisterhood of the travelling ribbon skirts to help raise awareness," she said.