#RidingForMMIW
Featured Photograph by Olivier Touron/Divergence-images
#ridingformmiw #medicinewheelrun #mmiw
How does riding our fancy expensive motorcycles around the continent with other indigenous women to imprint the Medicine Wheel on our lands actually help stop the murders and disappearances of our indigenous women??
Well, first of all, it gives us the opportunity to shine a light on the misogynistic attitudes some have towards us as has been shown by those questioning the value of our public awareness work and calling our bikes fancy and expensive (as if indigenous people shouldn't have nice stuff and if we do, especially not women)!
For those who don't get it, some think they have the right to question our decisions as women and to question the value of the volunteer work we choose to do for our people, for all people.
We truly believe that raising public awareness will help, because part of the reason our indigenous women are going missing and are murdered is because middle class Canada, America or Mexico doesn't know this is happening or worse doesn't care.
So, Charmaine Willier-Larsen of Treaty 8 and I, Joan Jack of Treaty 5, are riding the outer circle with Adam Seabrook, of the Metis Nation, who is driving support vehicle/trailer with us over the approximately 16,000 kilometres of the outer circle.
We left Winnipeg, Canada on May 24th and expect to be back in Winnipeg again on July 12th - some 50 days on the road away from our loved ones.
And, people are beginning to support our work, making it their work, by contributing financially to the Medicine Wheel Run!
We have also already been joined by other indigenous women on their bikes for the portions of the Medicine Wheel in their territories and we will be joined by more and more riders, regardless of race and gender, as we close the circle.
Then, on the weekend of June 14 - 16, women will be riding from all over the outer circle into Topeka, Kansas with four women specifically tasked with carrying medicine bundles inward from the four directions to create the Medicine Wheel directional axis.
We are also meeting with indigenous leaders and communities along the outer Medicine Wheel as we go!
There is also the spiritual value of indigenous women riding the imprint of the Medicine Wheel over their homelands, our Mother Earth and our North America.
Our families that have lost loved ones are sending us the names of those they miss or mourn to write on red ribbon and tie onto the backs of our bikes.
We know and we care. And, our families that have lost their loved ones know and care. And, we want others to know and care too.
While others may not see the vaRlue of our work, those affected by these crimes do and are messaging us daily telling us so.
We ride for them. We ride free in our own lands. We ride for a better tomorrow where no indigenous people, or any people, are treated as dispensable.
We've come a long way baby, but we've got a long way to go!