Talk4Healing vamps were created by the Talk4Healing staff and sent off to the “Walking with our Sisters” project in honour of all the missing and murdered Aboriginal women.

THUNDER BAY - Violence against Aboriginal women has become a persistent problem in this country. Statistics show that eight out of ten Aboriginal women have experienced some form of violence in their lifetime, and Aboriginal women are eight times more likely to be murdered than non-Aboriginal women. Today, there are approximately 600 known cases of missing and murdered Aboriginal women across Canada, and those numbers continue to climb.

Violence against Aboriginal women is one of the issues that Talk4Healing, a free helpline for Aboriginal women in Northern Ontario, hopes to address. “We know that the rates of violence amongst Aboriginal women are particularly high, and we also know that Aboriginal women – especially those living in remote Northern communities – often have nowhere to turn for help when they find themselves in violent or dangerous situations,” explains Robin Haliuk, Talk4Healing Coordinator. “That’s where we come in. Talk4Healing is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide accessible, free and culturally appropriate services, counselling and referrals to the women who need it.”

Facing Violence Aboriginal Women have Talk4Healing

In addition to the regular services of the helpline, Talk4Healing has also lent their support to ‘Walking with our Sisters’, a project that honours the lives of all Aboriginal women who have been murdered or gone missing. The project is a collaborative art exhibit that consists of over 1,000 moccasin tops, created and submitted by hundreds of caring and concerned individuals and organizations to create one art piece that will be installed for the public in various galleries and sites across Canada and into the United States. The idea is to form a winding path of beaded vamps (moccasin tops) on cloth over a gallery floor where views can “walk with our sisters” along the path.

“This project is about these women, paying respect to their lives and existence on this earth. They are not forgotten. They are sisters, mothers, daughters, cousins, grandmothers. They have been cared for, loved, and they are missing,” as explained by the administrator of the Walking with our Sisters Facebook group.

Talk4Healing is committed to honouring the lives of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls as well as supporting the countless families who have been tragically touched by the loss of a loved one to violence. If you are a victim of violence, or if someone you love has been lost to violence, simply call Talk4Healing at 1-855-554-HEAL. Your call will be met by a caring Aboriginal woman counsellor who will help get you started on your path to healing.

For more information, please visit www.talk4healing.com. For more information about the “Walking with our Sisters” project, please visit their page on Facebook. 600+ moccasin tops are being created by hundreds of caring and concerned people to create one large collaborative art piece that will be installed for the public in various galleries and sites. They will be installed in a winding path of beaded vamps on cloth over a gallery floor. Viewers will need to remove their shoes to walk over the cloth and walk along the path.

The exhibit is currently booked to tour across Canada and into the United States. (see “Exhibit Schedule” under the ‘file tab’).

This project is about these women, paying respect to their lives and existence on this earth. They are not forgotten. They are sisters, mothers, daughters, cousins, grandmothers. They have been cared for, loved, and they are missing.600+ moccasin tops are being created by hundreds of caring and concerned people to create one large collaborative art piece that will be installed for the public in various galleries and sites. They will be installed in a winding path of beaded vamps on cloth over a gallery floor. Viewers will need to remove their shoes to walk over the cloth and walk along the path.

The exhibit is currently booked to tour across Canada and into the United States. (see “Exhibit Schedule” under the ‘file tab’).

Maryanne Matthews