By Naheen Ahmed
In April, Theland Kicknosway, a 12-year-old Potawatami, travelled on foot from Gatineau Park all the way to the Kitigan Zibi Reserve in Maniwaki, Québec. For five and a half days, Kicknosway and his companions walked the 134 kilometers to raise awareness for the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, the families that have been affected by this loss, and for the Families of Sisters in Spirit (FSIS) organization.
According to the latest RCMP report on National Operational Overview, over 1,017 Indigenous women have been murdered between 1980-2012, a homicide rate that is 4.5 times higher than that of non-Indigenous women. In addition to this, of the 1,750 women who were reported missing in 2015, 174 of these women belong to Indigenous groups.
Kicknosway is raising awareness of these devastating numbers and their effects on Indigenous families.
“I mean, where did [these missing women] go? What happens to [their families] after that? What do they do in school while they are with their friends? And when someone mentions their mother, they don’t know what to say and might never know what happened to them” said Kicknosway.
Strong words from the Potawatami youth who is leading an effort to raise hope in a pessimistic era. We sat down with him to hear more.
The Leveller (TL): When did you start learning about the families of missing and murdered women? How did you feel?
Theland Kicknosway (TK): My mom was involved so I knew all about it, but I was kind of shocked [hearing the stories of the missing women] and I think that going through everything that has happened, it must be hard to listen and hear it when it’s your first time. When I met Bridget Tolley (founder of FSIS), she told me that we are still looking for them, and that they are not gone, and that they are still in our hearts.
TL: When did you start planning to do the walk?
TK: I’ve been planning this my whole life; I finally realized there was something I can do. So I told my mom. It started with the idea to walk across Canada and somehow it dialed down. Before I go across Canada I should do the Maritimes, you know?
TL: You started your walk in the Gatineau area, why? And where else did you stop?
TK: [I started] at Kelly’s [death] place. She was the one that was murdered while she was pregnant and I walk for the children of the missing and murdered. (Editor’s note: Kelly Morrisseau was murdered in 2006 while she was 7 months pregnant. The case is still unsolved.) Then I stopped by Shannon and Maisy’s sign near in Kitigan zibi. Then lastly, we went to Bridget (Tolley)’s house to honour her mother who died.
TL: What did you feel like throughout the walk?
TK: On the first day I was overwhelmed, we were at Gatineau and Hull, and I was like “we are actually doing this.” I was shocked at first. As the days went by, my confidence started rising and I felt happy and everyone was supporting me through the walk.
TL: What are your future plans?
TK: We are going to [do] another walk like this, but in less time. It’s going to be hard but as long as we are prepared for that, we can do it. I want to make the walk shorter (time-wise) to test our limits, because what we did was not enough. We should do everything we can: we can spread awareness, let them know that they’re gone but we’re not gone. We can spread it everywhere and grow.
Theland Kicknosway is one twelve year-old boy who has brought together a community of wounded families through this walk. The impact of the walk has not only been felt emotionally, but financially too. His kickstarter for the event and the one prior has raised over 3,000 dollars, a number that can only go up when he does it again.
For Kicknosway, “Everyone has a part in this place, and we play a role [in] what we can do together as a community.”
Kicknosway is certainly doing his part.
Photo credit: Elaine Kicknosway
This article first appeared in the Leveller Vol.8, No. 1 (Sept 2015).
