Naomi MacAloney (shown right) is working on a MMIP Awareness Project underway. The initiative will be on display in Library Park in North Battleford June 9.  (Submitted/Naomi MacAloney) 

By Angela Brown

Sharing stories

MMIP Awareness Project planned for June

May 13, 2022 | 3:58 PM

Naomi MacAloney wants to share the stories behind the names of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP).

That’s why the Indigenous advocate from North Battleford started a project to gather information from families about the lives of the many women and men who suffered.

MacAloney is planning a display at Central Park in North Battleford, also known as Library Park, June 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to share their stories.

“People can walk through Library Park and read about the people behind the names, and get a visual representation of the number surrounding our community, instead of just the names,” she said.

As part of the project, she will hang red dresses and shirts on the trees, along with framed pictures and stories of some of the many Indigenous individuals identified as missing or murdered. This way people will know the beauty of their lives, before tragedy struck.

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“I have two Indigenous daughters,” MacAloney said. “Hearing all the stories from friends made me think that could be my daughter. So I want to bring awareness and have people be more [understanding]. People know that Indigenous women go missing, but I don’t think a lot of them know to what the extent. That’s a little bit scary.”

Through speaking with victims’ family members over the past year, MacAloney said the initiative has been a work in progress.

“There are quite a few people in North Battleford who have relatives that are missing or family members that have been murdered,” she said. “I wanted to give them a space to tell more than just a this-is-what-happened story, and a little bit about the person behind the name. Like, a lot of people know [missing North Battleford woman] Ashley Morin‘s name, but not a lot of people know who she was.”

The North Battleford Library granted her use of the park space for the project.

“They were immediately on board,” she said.

MacAloney began the project earlier this year, reaching out to families in Saskatchewan and across Canada.

“When I started it in January it was just [about] missing and murdered Indigenous women we were going to focus on,” she said. “But talking to families, I realized that there is a really high missing rate for Indigenous men too. So we wanted to focus on all of that, to tell the story of all Indigenous people that are being murdered and going missing.”

MacAloney still hopes to connect with more families who lost loved ones to add more stories to the project.

To participate in the effort or donate a red dress to hang, people can contact MacAloney at 639-895-0936 or via Facebook.

“I get a little emotional thinking about the amount of families affected by this type of situation,” she said of the MMIP tragedy. “I really think it is important for people to see the impact that it has on everyone, especially the families involved.”

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angela.brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW