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Colour photo of a cedar post holding a red banner. The banner depicts four pairs of moccasins, behind and around the moccasins are footprints, above the moccasins is a vine of flowers. The post is directly over a paved footpath within a wooded park. People are walking on the path faced away from the camera and benches and lampposts are alongside the path.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

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Sisters in Spirit Vigil

Colour photo of a cedar post holding a red banner. The banner depicts four pairs of moccasins, behind and around the moccasins are footprints, above the moccasins is a vine of flowers. The post is directly over a paved footpath within a wooded park. People are walking on the path faced away from the camera and benches and lampposts are alongside the path.
Red Embers Project public art installation at Allan Gardens Park, 2019. Courtesy of Richard Rhyme.

Red Embers Project public art installation at Allan Gardens Park, 2019. Courtesy of Richard Rhyme.

Colour photo of women playing hand drums and singing in front of a microphone, they are standing on a park terrace. On the edge of the terrace a crowd stands watching. Within the crowd are Indigenous people wearing pow wow regalia. In the middle of the terrace are red mason jars with candle in them. In the back ground are trees and the park conservatory.
Sisters in Spirit vigil 2018 in Allan Gardens Park. Courtesy of Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto.

Sisters in Spirit vigil 2018 in Allan Gardens Park. Courtesy of Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto.

Colour photo of yellow brick townhouse. There is an iron gate, a lamppost and a sign reading "Native Women's Resource Centre," in front of it. Further closer to the camera is a sidewalk and a road. Beside the townhouse are other townhouses on each side.
Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto. Heritage Toronto, 2020.

Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto. Heritage Toronto, 2020.

Sisters in Spirit Vigil

For the past few years, Allan Gardens has been the site of the annual Sisters in Spirit vigil hosted by the Native Women’s Resource Centre. The vigil is held to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women. The vigil is meant to empower the community, dispel myths and stereotypes, support grieving families, and raise awareness in the Toronto area about the experiences of Indigenous women and girls.

Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women

The amount of cases of indigenous women being murdered or going missing is disproportionately high compared to the rest of the Canadian population. Though women are the life-givers and caregivers of their communities, colonial principles have made Indigenous women one of the lowest regarded groups in Canadian society.

Trying to understand the problem

In 2016 a government sanctioned inquiry began thanks to the persistence of indigenous activists and allies. The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women was conducted through a Truth Gathering process that included hearings, research, forensic analysis of police records all guided by elders and traditional knowledge keepers.

Art as activism, art as healing

The final report was released 3 years later, at the same time Allan Gardens installed Red Embers, an art project dedicated to missing and murdered Indigenous women. 15 female artists created their own banners that expressed how missing and murdered Indigenous women impacted their lives. The public art installation demonstrated the community’s resilience and resistance.

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