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No More Stolen Sisters: the MMIWG2S Movement and Indigenous Genocide in “North America”

On October 4th, thousands of red dresses hung from trees and fences across Canada. It was a haunting sight, empty gowns fluttering in the wind, an army of red staring down passers-by. Yet far more chilling is what these dresses represent: they symbolize the countless indigenous womxn, girls, and two spirits (2SLGBTQIA)* who have gone missing or been murdered in the ongoing epidemic violence against indigenous peoples in “Canada” and the “United States.”* The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn, Girls, and 2 Spirits (MMIWG2S) movement has been demanding an end to this violence.

In  2016, 5,712 indigenous womxn and girls were reported missing in the “U.S.”, and in “Canada,” 1,750 womxn were reported missing in 2015. According to Brookings and the CDC , homicide is one of the top three leading causes of death among young indigenous womxn in both states. In the “U.S.”, approximately 2% of the population is indigenous , but are murdered and sexually assaulted at 10 times the rate  of non-indigenous womxn, according to the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women. Similarly, in “Canada” First Nation, Métis and Inuit peoples constitute approximately 5% of the population , but are 3.5 times more likely to be sexually or physically assaulted, and  6 times more likely to be murdered , according to Statistics Canada. In both states, violence is overwhelmingly precipitated by non-indigenous men living near reservations, especially transient workers, particularly oil workers. Furthermore, indigenous womxn are more likely to be attacked by strangers compared to non-indigenous womxn.

This violence is part of a long history of indigenous genocide, compounded by dismissal and lack of prioritization by police. Fighting for their lives and rights to justice, First Nations peoples in “Canada” initiated the MMIWG2S movement to demand investigation and action from the “Canadian” government, though calls for justice have gone on far longer. Now proliferating throughout “North America”, MMIWG2S aims to end systemic violence against indigenous womxn, girls, and two spirits, and assure justice for their stolen sisters.

MMIWG2S also reflects demands to respect indigenous sovereignty and for Tribal Nations to be able to prosecute felonies committed on their lands. The 1978 “U.S.” Supreme Court case Oliphant v. Suquamish  limited the ability to prosecute crimes committed on indigenous lands by non-indigenous people, and the Major Crimes Act permits only the federal government to investigate felonies, including many MMIWG2S cases. Aboriginal Courts in “Canada” were created for indigenous peoples to execute the law, but again they have limited success controlling MMIWG2S investigations. Thus, many indigenous peoples are calling for the right to control the prosecution of these cases and exercise their sovereignty to address the violence, including by keeping developments and natural resource industries away from indigenous lands.

This movement has prompted activism via protests, petitions, and the creation of MMIWG2S databases to track cases. Furthermore, the “Canadian” National Inquiry into MMIWG  produced a 2019 final report acknowledging the violence as a genocide and presenting a plan of action, though implementation has been slow. In the “U.S.”, Savanna’s Act  was passed in 2017 requiring action to address MMIWG2S, such as specialized law enforcement training and public awareness efforts. Some states have taken limited action, and a Presidential Taskforce was created to investigate MMIW, but significant outcomes have yet to be seen.

Despite partial action, the genocide of indigenous womxn continues. This is just one stone in a mountain of abuse indigenous peoples have endured, and their resilience and strength is super-human. Indigenous communities deserve justice, and more importantly, indigenous womxn, girls, and two spirits must be allowed to live without fear of murder and violence.

On October 4th, thousands of red dresses hung from trees and fences across Canada. It was a haunting sight, empty gowns fluttering in the wind, an army of red staring down passers-by. Yet far more chilling is what these dresses represent: they symbolize the countless indigenous womxn, girls, and two spirits (2SLGBTQIA)* who have gone missing or been murdered in the ongoing epidemic violence against indigenous peoples in “Canada” and the “United States.”* The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn, Girls, and 2 Spirits (MMIWG2S) movement has been demanding an end to this violence.

In  2016, 5,712 indigenous womxn and girls were reported missing in the “U.S.”, and in “Canada,” 1,750 womxn were reported missing in 2015. According to Brookings and the CDC , homicide is one of the top three leading causes of death among young indigenous womxn in both states. In the “U.S.”, approximately 2% of the population is indigenous , but are murdered and sexually assaulted at 10 times the rate  of non-indigenous womxn, according to the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women. Similarly, in “Canada” First Nation, Métis and Inuit peoples constitute approximately 5% of the population , but are 3.5 times more likely to be sexually or physically assaulted, and  6 times more likely to be murdered , according to Statistics Canada. In both states, violence is overwhelmingly precipitated by non-indigenous men living near reservations, especially transient workers, particularly oil workers. Furthermore, indigenous womxn are more likely to be attacked by strangers compared to non-indigenous womxn.

This violence is part of a long history of indigenous genocide, compounded by dismissal and lack of prioritization by police. Fighting for their lives and rights to justice, First Nations peoples in “Canada” initiated the MMIWG2S movement to demand investigation and action from the “Canadian” government, though calls for justice have gone on far longer. Now proliferating throughout “North America”, MMIWG2S aims to end systemic violence against indigenous womxn, girls, and two spirits, and assure justice for their stolen sisters.

MMIWG2S also reflects demands to respect indigenous sovereignty and for Tribal Nations to be able to prosecute felonies committed on their lands. The 1978 “U.S.” Supreme Court case Oliphant v. Suquamish  limited the ability to prosecute crimes committed on indigenous lands by non-indigenous people, and the Major Crimes Act permits only the federal government to investigate felonies, including many MMIWG2S cases. Aboriginal Courts in “Canada” were created for indigenous peoples to execute the law, but again they have limited success controlling MMIWG2S investigations. Thus, many indigenous peoples are calling for the right to control the prosecution of these cases and exercise their sovereignty to address the violence, including by keeping developments and natural resource industries away from indigenous lands.

This movement has prompted activism via protests, petitions, and the creation of MMIWG2S databases to track cases. Furthermore, the “Canadian” National Inquiry into MMIWG  produced a 2019 final report acknowledging the violence as a genocide and presenting a plan of action, though implementation has been slow. In the “U.S.”, Savanna’s Act  was passed in 2017 requiring action to address MMIWG2S, such as specialized law enforcement training and public awareness efforts. Some states have taken limited action, and a Presidential Taskforce was created to investigate MMIW, but significant outcomes have yet to be seen.

Despite partial action, the genocide of indigenous womxn continues. This is just one stone in a mountain of abuse indigenous peoples have endured, and their resilience and strength is super-human. Indigenous communities deserve justice, and more importantly, indigenous womxn, girls, and two spirits must be allowed to live without fear of murder and violence.

*According to Researching for LGBTQ2S+ Health, “Two-spirit” refers to a person who identifies as having both a masculine and a feminine spirit, and is used by some Indigenous people to describe their sexual, gender and/or spiritual identity. As an umbrella term it may encompass same-sex attraction and a wide variety of gender variance, including people who might be described in Western culture as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, gender queer, cross-dressers or who have multiple gender identities. Two-spirit can also include relationships that could be considered poly.*

*Canada, United States, and North America are in quotations to acknowledge that these countries exist on land stolen from indigenous peoples.*

Photo by Dulcey Lima on Unsplash

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Arianna Pearlstein
Arianna is een tweedejaars International Relations and Organisations student aan de Universiteit Leiden. Ze is redactielid en schrijver. Haar passies zijn reizen, taekwondo en koken. Arianna is geïnteresseerd in mensenrechten, vluchtelingen en migratie, ongelijkheid, oorlog en vrede en Amerikaanse politiek.
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