Content Note: This article discusses individual and systemic violence against Indigenous women and girls, including abuse and murder.

The murders and abductions of Indigenous women have created an epidemic of terror for Indigenous communities across Canada. Whether it is along the Highway of Tears in northern British Columbia or at Robert Pickton’s farm in southern British Columbia, the abuse of Indigenous women is an apparent and ongoing issue. A lack of care and attention from police and the RCMP on this matter allows for this issue to persist and be reproduced, leaving Indigenous women vulnerable to predatory and violent attacks. Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) has led to a revolution from Indigenous people and allies alike who are tired of waiting for the police to care, for the government to listen, and for Canadian society to be proactive. A key contributor to this social justice agenda is Lorelei Williams: an Indigenous woman who has organized and mobilized her community to cultivate lasting change. In this article I will outline my interview with Lorelei to unpack how to be an effective ally to her community, and more details about this complex issue.

Lorelei Williams is the founder of Butterflies in Spirit, a dance group that uses their art to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). In addition to her organization, Lorelei has dedicated her life to grassroots activism in an attempt to help Indigenous people as they navigate ongoing colonization and genocide. I had the opportunity to speak with Lorelei and gain more insight into her perspective, work, and suggestions for young advocates.

Q2. Cristina: Can you share a brief summary of what MMIWG is and how MMIWG is a colonial and systemically reproduced issue?

Lorelei: First of all, with the police, they don't care and they don’t jump on the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. They don't take these cases seriously. They don't do their jobs properly; whether it’s searching for them or even the investigations if and when they are found. They don’t search for missing women, and predators know that they can target us because the police are not helpful. But even when women are found, they're deemed anything but murdered, anything but suspicious.

The police and the child welfare system go together hand in hand when it comes to putting our Indigenous women in danger. For example, sometimes people call the police for a wellness check on an Indigenous woman. Chantelle Moore’s case is a perfect example of this where she ended up dying at the hands of the police on a wellness check. And if they don’t die, they are thrown into the hospital system where they are forced to take pills. These pills can be addictive so then they get stuck in that. But if there's kids involved, when the mother is thrown in the hospital, kids get thrown into the child welfare system. Now they're (the mother) addicted to these pills and then they're trying to fight for their kids back. If they are in some sort of assisted housing, once they lose their kids, they lose their housing. Then they have to fight for their kids back, but they can’t get their kids back if they don't have enough rooms for their kids to live in so it's this vicious cycle that happens to Indigenous women and girls.

Cristina: Thank you for bringing that up. Many people think that systemic discrimination ended with residential schools, but the genocide continues in different forms.

Lorelei: They (the government) are so quick to take the kids; they are so quick to give the foster care guardians tons of money to watch these kids. Non-Indigenous, white people take care of these kids, but they do nothing to support the mothers and if anything they're just pushing them down more and making sure that they don't get to go back to their moms. It's really hard for them to fight for their kids back. Our people have been through this so much that it's just triggering in itself.

Q3. Cristina: As we are the Sexual Violence Support & Prevention Office (SVSPO), I was hoping to talk about sexual violence and MMIWG. Can you please share your reflection, and how university students can continue raising awareness about this issue.

Lorelei: So this reminds me of a time I attended a conference at UBC. The university invited advocates from Canada and some advocates from the states arrived as well, and it was an amazing event. However, there was a group of white male students at the campus who were upset about the event and felt that their own voices were not being heard. As we (Butterflies in Spirit) were about to perform, the organizers of the event stopped us because these same white males were causing a scene. The police were called on the men. This created a very unsafe space for us as Indigenous women and everyone was quite upset. Something drastic needs to be done about these types of people because they're dangerous and they're showing that they are capable of being aggressive towards us on a university campus.

Q4. Cristina: I am aware that you have met other Indigenous advocates for MMIWG in the South, such as in Colombia and Mexico. What have you learned from their resistance to gender-based violence and their efforts in the anti-feminicide movement?

Lorelei: I have learned so much. In Colombia, I learned that the work that I do here in Canada is not safe to do in Colombia. If anybody was doing this kind of work in Colombia, they would get killed; it's just not safe for women down there. Even when getting into a taxi, women take pictures of the license plate and the taxi driver and send it to a friend or family member.

In Mexico, I've been in two brigades, the national brigade and the international brigade, searching for the disappeared. I learned so much about their disappeared people and actually finding human remains. The first brigade, we found I think it was 14-16 human remains and I say 14-16 because there were some remains we found and we were not sure if it was two people or just one person.

Q5. Cristina: What are some ways that university students can get involved/support Butterflies in Spirit, Crazy Indian Brotherhood (CIB), or other Indigenous organizations in the Lower Mainland? Where is help needed? What opportunities are there to get involved in your community?

Lorelei: Attending vigils and protests is helpful. CIB (Crazy Indian Brotherhood) and Butterflies are coming together and doing great work in our communities. Monetary donations, legal help, or any positive support is necessary. Please email butterfliesinspirit@gmail.com if you would like to help and I can connect with you directly. Also follow @butterfliesinspirit on instagram for updates.

Q6. Cristina: As we know: gender inequities, ableism, and homophobia/transphobia are colonial entities, and directly impact MMIWG. Can you share examples of how Indigenous nations have traditionally provided communities of care and gender equality? How can we at the Sexual Violence Support & Prevention Office (SVSPO) and the SFU community learn from this example, thus promoting a decolonizing agenda?

Lorelei: When I was working with a women's group in the DTES, a trans woman joined the group so I called an Indigenous elder to help facilitate a smooth inclusion of the trans member into our space. I knew this would be beneficial because in traditional Indigenous communities, LGBTQ people were held on a pedestal because of their ability to connect with feminine and masculine energies. This was viewed as a unique and positive quality.

On a separate note, sexual predators in Indigenous communities pre-colonization were often publicly shamed and brought out at community gatherings in order for the community to be fully aware of who was acting incorrectly.