A crowd of people in Vancouver lit candles on Oct. 4 to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women. It was just one of hundreds of memorial events that took place across the country on that day.

The Sisters in Spirit events are part of a national day of mourning and a day to raise awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous women.

The vigil in Vancouver took place in the Downtown Eastside, which is an epicenter of violence and was where serial killer Robert Pickton notoriously preyed on women two decades ago. Many of those who attended the vigil have been demanding a national inquiry into the problem for years. An inquiry got underway this year.

Gertie Pierre of Sechelt Nation, whose niece was murdered in 1992, said she hopes a
solution will come.

“I know the tragedies and the traumas and the sorrows that you go through,” she told the crowd. “Because I know when we lost our loved one it never left. My heart still aches, to this day, with the murder.”

Long-time Indigenous advocate, Lillian Howard, also spoke, telling the crowd that Canada must address the institutional racism that exists and marginalizes Indigenous women.

“Indigenous people live in an oppressive society in 2016 all across this country,” she said. “We need to stand up with each other as Indigenous people and tell Canadian people all across this country that enough is enough.”

Howard herself has lost several relatives and has personally experienced violence.

“It’s very difficult and a lot of family members feel shame around it to talk about this issue, but it’s an issue that needs to be addressed,” she said.

During the vigil, there was a moment of silence in remembrance of the hundreds, or perhaps even thousands, of Indigenous women who have been lost.

The Sisters in Spirit remembrance vigils have grown from just 11 in 2006 to more than 200 in 2014, according to the Native Women’s Association of Canada.

CBC news has a webpage dedicated to documenting the stories of Canada’s missing and murdered indigenous women. Visit www.cbc.ca/missingandmurdered to learn more.

Words and photo by Cara McKenna