Many participants came together for the MMIWG walk and memorial Friday. (Angela Fiddler/Facebook)

By Angela Brown

Waterhen Lake First Nation MMIWG walk honours life of Robin Fiddler in first year of memorial

Jun 27, 2020 | 3:12 PM

Angela Fiddler hopes the walk and memorial ceremony at Friday’s Waterhen Lake First Nation honours her cousin Robin Fiddler, who lost her life tragically a year ago.

But Angela also hopes the event will raise awareness about the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) in society, and will lead to change.

About 50 people took part in the event that started from the tracks at Waweyekisik Educational Centre, known as Waterhen School and concluded with a memorial service, followed by a meal for the gathering.

Angela said she wished the chief and council would have also participated in the event to show their solidarity for the cause.

“It would have been nice to have leadership out here,” she said. “There wasn’t any leadership.”

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Angela said the council should have taken part to show their support for their membership.

Families gather during the memorial ceremony. (Angela Fiddler/Facebook)

The walk was to remember Robin Fiddler, but also all Indigenous peoples’ loved ones who are murdered or missing.

Robin Fiddler was an Indigenous mother who died at the age of 34 after being shot twice by a police officer in a back alley in Calgary on June 26, 2019, following an altercation. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) were involved in the investigation following the incident.

Robin Fiddler’s family from Waterhen Lake First Nation continue to hope for justice for Robin, and accountability for the police officer’s actions.

Angela said the family is still waiting for answers.

She said Indigenous people want to see an end to police brutality in Canada.

They would like to see police receive cultural awareness training about Indigenous history in an effort to stop systemic racism.

“Our people need to raise their voices about police brutality because it continues on,” Angela said. “Sooner or later it is going to affect their family. It is needless violence.”

She said through systemic racism and policies in place in society, Indigenous women are more vulnerable and “fall through the cracks” of society’s safety net.

“We don’t have a support system available, [for] Indigenous people,” Angela said. “Even when they move to the bigger cities, they don’t get jobs. We are still looked at with racism, with discrimination.”

Youth hold a sign to raise awareness following the walk. (Angela Fiddler/Facebook)

Angela said the family plan to hold the walk and memorial every year to continue to raise awareness.

“We have always been talking about Indigenous Lives Matter,” she said, “But we didn’t have anyone to hear us. That is what is happening in today’s society within Canada. Even though we bring that up, nobody is listening. You have all the people who have racist thoughts who don’t want to see us rise up, don’t want to see us succeed. So when we speak out, they make sure to turn a deaf ear.”

With the Black Lives Matter movement so active now, Angela hopes perhaps there will also be heightened interest in the Indigenous Lives Matter cause that continues on. She said she is beginning to see more non-Indigenous people start to show their support, as a positive sign for the future.

“People are starting to open their ears to us and look when we have been doing it all along,” Angela said. “Now people are listening, and watching and understanding, and actually standing up for us as well.”

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @meadowlakeNOW