Symbol of Absence and a Call to Reflect: Red Dress Week and International Women’s Day at StFX

In recent weeks, students may have took notice of the numerous red dresses hung around campus in recognition of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) in Canada. On Sunday March 1st, the StFX Indigenous Student Society hosted day one of Red Dress Week, which consisted of a smudging ceremony of the dresses administered by Elder Kerry Prosper in the StFX Kiknu Student Centre.

In an interview with 3rd year student, Co-President of the WMGS society, and Indigenous Student Peer Mentor, Maria Young, she spoke about the purpose of Red Dress Week, the symbolic power the dresses hold, and detailed some other events that took place.

“The purpose of red dress week is to bring attention to the current epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, and 2 spirit people. Due to ongoing colonial violence, indigenous women and girls face the highest risk of experiencing violent victimization in their lifetime.” She continues, providing statistics regarding this violence. “63% of indigenous women over the age of 15 have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. So, we have red dress week here at StFX to create space in our community for education, grieving, and healing.”

Maria also explained the symbolism of the red dresses. “The red dress itself became a symbol of the MMIW movement through the Red Dress Project, where dresses are hung in public spaces to symbolize the MMIW and serve as a reminder of their absence.”

“The week started off with smudging of the red dresses, with Elder Kerry Prosper. Then we hung the dresses after the smudging. We also held another ceremony in Bloomfield, where the indigenous society shared teachings about smudging.” says Maria.

She also discussed a ribbon skirt making event which took place, and the significance of it. “There was also ribbon skirt making in Kiknu, in collaboration with the Nova Scotia Indigenous Women’s Association. The ribbon skirts are a traditional attire that represent resilience and Indigenous identity.”

Maria discussed the annual Red Dress Panel, as well as a healing circle. “This year our speakers were Tyra Denny, Marie Sack, Annie Daisley, and StFX student Shy Denny. They all shared some really impactful insights and personal stories related to MMIW. At the end of the week on Friday, we had a healing circle with the Indigenous therapist on campus, Andrea Currie.”

When asked about the turnout for these events, and the overall response from the campus community, Maria said, “I think the turnout was good. It’s always wonderful to have so many students interested in indigenous events and engage in these really great learning opportunities. But as always, there can be better attendance and more engagement from students.”

For many events at StFX, there tend to be issues in getting people to attend that aren’t previously educated on the topic at hand. Maria gave her opinion on this, explaining “That may be partially true, and there are a lot of people there to learn, but I think coming to these events can be a little intimidating for some students. Especially if they may not know much about Indigenous culture and MMIW. I guess I want to encourage those students to show up anyway. These events are here for them and so no matter what your background is or how much you know, the purpose is to help educate you.”

In regard to promoting Red Dress Week, and events like it to a broader audience, Maria states, “A part of that learning process is going beyond reading about the issues and actually engaging with indigenous people and listening to our stories. Making those connections is a really important part of allyship, so I think one way to combat that is to continue to build community. Another part of that is that the StFX, administration can do a lot better in supporting and promoting these events. Working towards reconciliation has to come from both ways. It can’t only be indigenous students and faculty putting in the work. It has to be relational.”

If any member of the StFX, community didn’t get to attend these events, Maria offered insight in ways to support MMIW.

“Make efforts to learn about and raise awareness of the subject outside of Red Dress Week. So, talk to Indigenous people, go to events, get engaged, and like I said, just learn. MMIW is a much more deeply seeded issue than women going missing. It’s perpetuated by decades of settler colonialism and systemic racism. It’s embedded into our education system, healthcare system, the justice system, the RCMP, governments policies.”, says Maria.

She expands further on this issue, stating that, “We’re not just being killed by people, we’re being killed at the hands of violent colonial systems, and many of these systems were set up with the intention of harming indigenous populations. This is something that governments and institutions often ignore. So, in my mind, showing support for MMIW might look like broadening your understanding of why this violence occurs, and learning how to advocate for the decolonization of the institutions that you participate in. A good place to start, I recommend at MMIWG Final Report, and the 231 calls for justice in that report, of which only 2 have been completed to date. That’s a really great resource for students to look into.”

On Sunday, March 8th, International Women’s Day was celebrated, with the StFX community recognizing the day through various events, such as Ladies and Leaves hosted by Visible at X. According to their Instagram page, the campus community was invited to ‘Pot a plant. Paint your

pot. Take it home with you’, with the goal to, ‘Plant something beautiful, grow something powerful.”

The Women in Business Summit also took place, which hosted the In Full Bloom: The Leader Within conference, consisting of a wide lineup of speakers, providing a space for connection and recognition of achievements by women in leadership. The women in business Instagram described the two-day event as focusing ‘self-discovery, confidence, and the growth that happens when leadership is nurtured from within.’

With International Women’s Day closing off Red Dress Week, Maria discussed some events hosted by the WMGS society, stating, “I would consider a lot of the Red Dress Week stuff to be part of the women’s day activities. In collaboration with the women and gender studies faculty, the society and Indigenous office held a screening of “Rising through the Fray”, which is a documentary about an all-Indigenous roller derby team, and the films’ director, Courtney Montour, actually visited StFX and did a Q&A after the screening. The WMGS society is also collaborating with the library later this month, for a zine event related to International Women’s Day.”

When asked about how Maria sees both Red Dress Week and International Women’s Day intersecting, she said “They intersect in every way. I cannot celebrate International Women’s Day without thinking of the Indigenous women who are not here to celebrate the occasion with us.”

In response to what Red Dress Week and International Women’s Day means to her personally, Maria stated, “This week means a lot to me personally as an indigenous woman, because this goes beyond just statistics, this is real, it’s our lived experience and will continue to impact us outside of this week. I don’t know any indigenous people whose lives haven’t been impacted by colonial violence, and that’s unfortunate. What I want students to take away from this is change needs to happen, and they need to be a part of that change.”

The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls can be found here : https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/.