| When aboriginal woman Michelle Thrush was 15-years-old, her mother was severely beaten and almost killed by an abusive white boyfriend.
When Thrush’s mother managed to grab hold of the shotgun her boyfriend was attempting to kill her with and shoot him in the leg to defend herself, she was charged with attempted murder.
Thrush says that was when she realized aboriginal women rarely experience justice, in the criminal justice system or in life in general.
"She was being charged with attempted murder for defending herself," says Thrush. "I just remember feeling extremely vulnerable after she was convicted of two years, less a day. I just felt it was so unfair. That shifted things completely in my life."
Thrush, the artistic director of Crazy Horse Theatre, says violence against aboriginal women remains shockingly prevalent in Canada and it’s an issue that will be highlighted at an upcoming Crazy Horse Theatre production on February 14 called "Reclaiming Squaw."
The evening of poetry, song, dance and performance has been put together in response to the fact that an estimated 500 aboriginal women have gone missing or have been murdered over the last two decades in Canada.
The issue has garnered a media attention recently because remains of several aboriginal women who had gone missing from Vancouver’s downtown eastside were found at suspected serial killer Robert Pickton’s pig farm recently in Port Coquitlam. Meanwhile police in Edmonton have established a task force to look into cases of murdered and missing women in the area, many or whom were aboriginal. Violence against aboriginal women in Calgary isn’t rare either. In 1999, 49-year-old Gloria Blackplume was found dead in a back alley. She had been stomped to death. In 2002, 24-year-old Barbara Eyapaise’s body was found in the Bow River after being strangled to death.
Amnesty International is currently investigating cases of missing and murdered aboriginal women and expects to have a report on the problem ready this spring.
Next month the United Church of Canada, The Anglican Church of Canada and the Native Womens’ Association of Canada will be launching a campaign aimed at ending the pervasive violence experienced by native women. The three organizations are calling on the federal government to commit $10 million for research and education on the subject and to a establish a hotline where people can report cases of missing aboriginal women. The three organizations would also like to see a registry established to document cases.
Thrush says racist attitudes against aboriginal women contribute to ongoing violence. She recalls one time being approached by a middle-aged white man while she was pregnant. The man propositioned her. She says it wasn’t the first time a man approached her and assumed she was a prostitute because she is a aboriginal.
"Because I’m dark and I’ve got dark hair. Why should I feel that way?" she asks.
Thrush says at times it’s hard not to become overwhelmed by the number of disturbing cases of abused or murdered aboriginal women.
"I feel sick to my stomach and sometimes I just feel numb because we face so much adversity," says Thrush.
However, she’s hopeful that through her work as an actor, writer and director she can help create a brighter future for her two young daughters.
Reclaiming Squaw will be held at Mount Royal College’s Leacock Theatre on February 14. Proceeds go to the Exit Community Outreach Program and Crazy Horse Theatre. |
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