Hundreds gather at legislature for Indigenous Lives Matter rally

Brightly coloured skirts swished and the smell of sage filled the air at the Saskatchewan Legislative Building in Regina.

Signs reading “We will not forget MMIWG,” “Idle No More” and “No More Stolen Sisters” explained to passersby why hundreds had been brought together Sunday.

A woman holds a sign that reads “No more stolen sisters,” at a rally at the Saskatchewan Legislature in Regina on June 21, 2020. (Libby Giesbrecht/980 CJME)

The Indigenous Lives Matter rally brought many people together, most wearing masks and attempting to socially distance, to share and listen to stories of grief, loss and hope for a better future.

One elder began the afternoon by sharing that she had been honoured to receive an offering of tobacco from a white sister.

A speaker detailed the difficult history Canada’s Indigenous people have experienced, referencing “starlight tours” and the ’60s Scoop.

“I was afraid to make a mistake,” another elder said, speaking in front of the legislature about her experience as a residential school student.

The elder spoke about punishment and losing her culture.

“The first night, I cried. It was OK to cry,” she said. “But the next night, I got the strap. I learned not to cry. I learned to hold it in. My body cried.”

A woman in the crowd wept as she shared.

Sixteen-year-old Kahila Morris attended the rally in honour of her father, Geoff, who was killed by police during a domestic dispute in May 2019.

“When I first heard that he got killed, I kind of just didn’t believe it at first until my grandma actually called me … and told me that it was the cops that did it,” Morris remembered. “Because we didn’t get told at first.”

Morris remembers her father for how much he loved her.

“My dad was a really good guy … He was really good with kids, he was really funny and he was always there,” Morris said.

“Even though he went down the wrong lifestyle, he still loved us. He still showed that he loved us.”

A woman holds a Canadian flag with the words “Red Lives Matter” written on it at a rally for Indigenous lives on June 21, 2020. (Libby Giesbrecht/980 CJME)

Joseph Reynolds attended the rally to support the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) movement. Reynolds said a member of his own family has been missing since 2015.

“Since that incident happened, it brought me more self-actualization, more self-realization to the cause,” Reynolds said.

“My heart (was) brought into it. Especially with a family member missing, I thought about it before but not to this extent.”

The peaceful gathering brought together people of all cultural backgrounds.

Clara Der, an immigrant who lives in Regina, attended the rally with her three daughters.

“It is so important that we acknowledge what has happened in the past and what is happening now,” Der said.

“I think the greatest injustice in Canada is the treatment of Indigenous people and as an immigrant, I’ve come late to learn about history and my role and so I think this is just one way to learn and educate and be active in this movement.”

Der’s daughter, Emma, added why she felt it was important to attend the rally.

“I feel like being here today is part of our role in the society of white colonization and that we should do something more than just silently protest but actually be active and show up to these protests and stand with these people who have suffered,” she said.

Morris called the rally a healing experience.

“(It’s important) to come together as a community and to feel as if we’re whole again, to feel as if our loved ones are walking around with us, to feel as if we never lost them and to keep their name and memory and to speak up about it, not to keep us silenced anymore,” Morris said.

She emphasized the importance of sharing her experience.

“(It’s vital) to have a voice and to do something and to speak up for the future generations too,” she said. “That’s how I think about it.”