Anything Goes : Expanding Our Worldview to Include Indigenous Cultures by Debbie Elicksen

On May 5, it was Red Dress Day here in Canada. The day was born when Metis artist Jaime Black created The REDress Project in 2010 (see the photo). Empty red dresses hung on trees and public spaces represents a memorial to the missing and murdered Indigenous women and two-spirit individuals (MMIW2S+).

Yesterday, I attended an event at the Calgary Public Library: Red Dress Day -- A Conversation with Indigenous Matriarchs About MMIW2S+. The matriarchs included my friend Michelle Robinson, whose is a strong activist, has a podcast Native Calgarian, and sits on the Indigenous People's Commission for the Federal Liberal Party; Ruth Scalp Lock, founder of a women's shelter, residential school survivor, and author; and Indigenous lawyer Rachel Snow.

What stood out to me during this event was Ruth Scalp Lock talking about the wall she faced when trying to get her book published. It wasn't just her story. The entire community is passed over when it comes to publishing their stories. These cultural stories are powerful, many passed down by generation, and experiences that shed a magnifying glass on settler communities. There is so much wisdom in these accounts.

We could pick a country, whether it's Canada, United States, Australia, Mongolia, anywhere in the world where Indigenous stories are untold, forgotten, or passed over as low priority.

I periodically share anecdotes via TikTok and YouTube of some of these experiences, such as this war hero: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iLNuuu5_6rU.

Are there some stories from your communities that are under told?

It was just a thought I'd share, especially for those who might be suffering from creative block. :) There is so much richness from hearing these kinds of stories. They help us understand ourselves more.