REDress Project

Last updated

The REDress Project at Acadia University in 2015. The REDress Project (22095415476).jpg
The REDress Project at Acadia University in 2015.

The REDress Project by Jaime Black is a public art installation that was created in response to the missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) epidemic in Canada and the United States. The on-going project began in 2010 and commemorates missing and murdered indigenous women from the First Nations, Inuit, Métis (FNIM), and Native American communities by hanging empty red dresses in a range of environments. [1] The project has also inspired other artists to use red to draw attention to the issue of MMIW, and prompted the creation of Red Dress Day.

Contents

Background

Jaime Black is Métis, an ethnic group native to parts of Canada and the United States of America, which traces their descent to both indigenous North Americans and Western European settlers. Black was working at the Urban Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal Art gallery in Winnipeg when she attended a conference in Germany. She heard Jo-Ann Episkenew speak about the hundreds of missing and murdered women in Canada. [2] [3]

Black proposed to include a display of red dresses in a workshop at the University of Winnipeg’s Institute for Women’s and Gender Studies. Black says the image of an empty red dress hanging outside came to her whilst listening to Episkenew speak, but has since identified an influence from the book cover of Métis author Maria Campbell's novel The Book of Jessica. [3] The university agreed with Black's proposal, and helped her source the dresses. [2]

To date more than 400 dresses have been donated by women across Canada. [4] Families of missing or murdered women have contributed dresses, and attended some of the exhibitions. [3]

Symbolism

Art installation inspired by Metis artist Jaime Black at Seaforth Peace Park, Vancouver, Canada on the National Day for Vigils for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women 2016. 2016 366 277 -REDress Project (29473248523).jpg
Art installation inspired by Métis artist Jaime Black at Seaforth Peace Park, Vancouver, Canada on the National Day for Vigils for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women 2016.

Black chose the colour red after conversations with an indigenous friend, who told her red is the only colour the spirits can see. "So (red) is really a calling back of the spirits of these women and allowing them a chance to be among us and have their voices heard through their family members and community". [5] Black has also suggested red "relates to our lifeblood and that connection between all of us", [4] and that it symbolises both vitality and violence. [6]

The dresses are empty, so that they evoke the missing women who should be wearing them. Black has said: "People notice there is a presence in the absence". [4] [6] [7]

Whilst some installations of the dresses have been indoors, the preferred space for the installation is outdoors. When outside, the dresses interact with nature, drawing the eye of passersby and introducing them to the MMIW issue through information panels. [4] Some critics feel the installation is more powerful in natural environments, [6] but others have highlighted the impact within the urban environment in emphasising this is not purely a rural issue. [7]

Notable Installations

The installation has been exhibited in more than 31 locations around Canada, and varies based on location. [3] In 2019, it had its first exhibition in the United States of America. Notable installations include:

Influence on others

Maxida Marak and Buffy Sainte-Marie at Riddu Riddu 2019 Maxida Marak and Buffy Sainte-Marie at Riddu Riddu 2019.jpg
Maxida Märak and Buffy Sainte-Marie at Riddu Riđđu 2019

In 2017, 17-year-old Cree jingle dancer Tia Wood asked other dancers at the Gathering of Nations Powwow where she was serving Head Young Lady Dancer to wear red as part of a special, old-style jingle dance, which is a type of healing dance, out of respect for missing and murdered indigenous women [4] and to raise awareness of the epidemic. [13] The Red Dress Jingle Special she organised has continued to be presented at pow-wows ever since. [14]

A Mi’kmaq woman by the name of Sasha Doucette photographs pieces of red clothing in her hometown of Eskasoni. [4] [15] Originally, she placed red dresses for the women and red ribbon shirts for the men at the sites where they have been murdered, but she has also started doing the same for people who have not died of violence, but whose deaths could have been otherwise prevented. [15]

In 2018, Isabella Aiukli Cornell, a member of the Choctaw Nation, chose to wear a custom-made dress [16] made by Crow designer Della Bighair-Stump of Hardin, Montana to her junior prom in order to bring attention to the systemic violence and abuse indigenous women suffer. [17] [18] [19] “The color red is symbolic of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s movement,” Cornell said. “The bodice was made to incorporate a little bit of the (Choctaw) tribe by adding diamonds to the design.” [18] Cornell donated her prom dress and shoes to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. [20] [16] [17]

Buffy Sainte-Marie has been inspired by the project to hang a single red dress up on stage at her concerts. [21] In July 2019, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Tanya Tagaq, and Maxida Märak prominently displayed a single red dress on stage when they performed together at Riddu Riđđu. [22]

Associated campaigns

Related Research Articles

Red Dress or The Red Dress may refer to:

Jingle dress is a First Nations and Native American women's pow wow regalia and dance. North Central College associate professor Matthew Krystal notes, in his book, Indigenous Dance and Dancing Indian: Contested Representation in the Global Era, that "Whereas men's styles offer Grass Dance as a healing themed dance, women may select Jingle Dress Dance." The regalia worn for the dance is a jingle dress, which includes ornamentation with multiple rows of metal, such as cones, that create a jingling sound as the dancer moves.

Native American feminism or Native feminism is, at its root, understanding how gender plays an important role in indigenous communities both historically and in modern-day. As well, Native American feminism deconstructs the racial and broader stereotypes of indigenous peoples, gender, sexuality, while also focusing on decolonization and breaking down the patriarchy and pro-capitalist ideology. As a branch of the broader Indigenous feminism, it similarly prioritizes decolonization, indigenous sovereignty, and the empowerment of indigenous women and girls in the context of Native American and First Nations cultural values and priorities, rather than white, mainstream ones. A central and urgent issue for Native feminists is the Missing and murdered Indigenous women crisis.

#AmINext is a social media campaign launched on September 5, 2014, by Inuit Canadian Holly Jarrett, to call attention to the high rate of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada. It was one of many awareness campaigns initiated by activists since 2000.

Walking With Our Sisters is a commemorative art installation of over 1,763 moccasin vamps that was created to remember and honor missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Each pair of moccasin vamps, also known as tops, represents one missing or murdered Indigenous woman from North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women</span> Movement in the US and Canada

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) is a human rights crisis of violence against Indigenous women in Canada and the United States, notably those in the FNIM and Native American communities, and a grassroots movement to raise awareness of MMIW through organizing marches; building databases of the missing; holding local community, city council, and tribal council meetings; and conducting domestic violence trainings and other informational sessions for police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death of Tina Fontaine</span> Death of a First Nations girl in Manitoba

Tina Michelle Fontaine was a First Nations teenage girl who was reported missing and died in August 2014. Her case is considered among the high number of missing and murdered Indigenous women of Canada, and her death renewed calls by activists for the government to conduct a national inquiry into the issue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michèle Audette</span> Canadian politician and activist

Michèle Taïna Audette is a Canadian politician and activist. She served as president of Femmes autochtones du Québec from 1998 to 2004 and again from 2010 to 2012. She was also the president of Native Women's Association of Canada from 2012 to 2014. From 2004 through 2008, she served as Associate Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Relations with Citizens and Immigration of the Quebec government, where she was in charge of the Secretariat for Women.

Marion R. Buller, is a First Nations jurist in British Columbia and current chancellor of the University of Victoria. Buller served as the Chief Commissioner for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls from 2016 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women</span> Public Inquiry in Canada 2016-2019

The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was a Canadian public inquiry from 2016 to 2019 that studied the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis.

Bridget Tolley is a Canada-based Algonquin community worker, activist for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), and the founder of the grassroots activist and support organization, Families of Sisters in Spirit (FSIS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Lisa Marie Young</span> Nanaimo BC woman missing since 2002

Lisa Marie Young was a 21-year-old Indigenous Canadian who disappeared from Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada on June 30, 2002. She had attended a local nightclub and two house parties, before accepting a ride to a fast-food restaurant, from a man she and her friends met earlier at the club. Although Young has never been found, her disappearance is being investigated as a homicide.

Rosalie Fish is a Native American runner, member of the Cowlitz Tribe, former student athlete at Iowa Central Community College, currently studying and running for the University of Washington. As a senior at Muckleshoot Tribal School, Fish made international headlines when she painted a red handprint over her mouth, the fingers extending across her cheeks to honor the lives of missing and murdered indigenous women. Rosalie Fish has also been a featured speaker for Tedx Talks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missing and murdered Indigenous women in Utah</span>

The epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) is not exclusive to any region of the United States, but some states have a higher number of cases. Utah ranked 8th in the United States for the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women. The state's capital, Salt Lake City, was the city with the 9th highest number of cases of MMIW.

Tanya Kappo (Cree) is an Indigenous rights activist. She is one of the four women who co-founded Idle No More and was briefly the manager of community relations for Canada's National Public Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red handprint</span> Activist symbol

A red handprint, usually painted across the mouth, is a symbol that is used to indicate solidarity with Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and girls in North America, in recognition of the fact that Native American women are up to 10 times more likely to be murdered or sexually assaulted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenda Child</span> Ojibwe historian and author

Brenda J. Child is an Ojibwe historian and author.

Red Dress Day, or Red Dress Campaign, is an annual event held by the REDress Project in memory of the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls across Canada. This event was originally held on May 5, 2010, and continues annually. The event is sometimes held on other dates throughout the year to coincide with other days of action, such as National Indigenous Peoples Day. Associated names with this event include National Day of Awareness For Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women And Girls. Red Dress Day is one of several campaigns started by activists to call attention to disproportionate rates of violence against Indigenous women.

Jaime Black is of Anishinaabe and Finnish descent. This Canadian multidisciplinary artist-activist is focused on First Nations and Indigenous representation and identity. She identifies as Métis, an ethnic group native to the three Prairie Provinces as well as parts of Ontario, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories of Canada and the Northern United States, which traces descent to both Indigenous North Americans and Western European settlers. Black is best known for her art installation The REDress Project that she created as a response to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis in Canada as well as the United States. A 2014 report by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police found that more than 1,000 Indigenous women were murdered over the span of 30 years from 1980 to 2012. However, some Indigenous advocacy groups dispute these reports arguing that the number is much greater than the government has acknowledged.

Isabella Aiukli Cornell is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and a young activist. She is the organizing member of Matriarch, and inter-tribal non-profit based in Oklahoma. In 2018, her Junior prom dress garnered national attention which highlighted the crisis of violence against Native women.

References

  1. ↑
    • Heitkamp, Heidi. "Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women: Resources & Information". Archived from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2017. In 2016, North Dakota alone had 125 cases of missing Native women reported to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), compared to 5,712 total Native women cases reported in the United States. However, the actual number is likely much higher, as cases of missing Native women are often under-reported and the data has never been officially collected. Heidi Heitkamp Senator of North Dakota
    • "REDress exhibit highlights epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women". The Guardian . March 7, 2019. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
    • "Rep. Haaland addresses Congress on epidemic of missing, endangered indigenous women". KRQE Media . March 14, 2019. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
    • Hopkins, Ruth (September 11, 2018). "When the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Crisis Hits Home". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019. With issues concerning jurisdictional power and poor communication between families and local, state, tribal, and federal authorities contribute to the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women.
  2. 1 2 3 Ault, Alicia. "These Haunting Red Dresses Memorialize Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women". Smithsonian.org. Archived from the original on June 10, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Tam, Ruth (March 23, 2019). "Can art speak the truth about violence against indigenous women?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bolen, Anne (Spring 2019). "A Place for the Taken: The REDress Project Gives a Voice to Missing Indigenous Women". National Museum of the American Indian. 20 (1). Archived from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Suen, Fan-Yee (October 3, 2015). "Red dresses seek to draw attention to missing, murdered aboriginal women". CTV news. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 Jenkins, Mark (March 15, 2019). "In the galleries: Hanging garments symbolize violence against indigenous women". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 Rieger, Sarah (September 30, 2015). "Red Dresses Draw Attention To Canada's Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women". Huffington Post (Canada). Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Exhibitions". The REDress project. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  9. ↑ Sharon Blady (May 16, 2011). "REDress Project" (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Canada: Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. pp. 2000–2001.
  10. ↑
  11. ↑
  12. ↑ "The REDress Project | National Museum of the American Indian". americanindian.si.edu. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ "Red Dress Jingle Special – UNM KIVA's 63rd Annual Nizhoni Days Powwow". Yahoo! News. May 1, 2018. Archived from the original on September 28, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  15. 1 2 Mustain, Jeane (October 12, 2016). "Local REDress project honours missing, murdered Nova Scotians". The Signal. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  16. 1 2 "Petticoat for Native American Prom Dress". National Museum of American History. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  17. 1 2 "Prom". National Museum of American History. September 24, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  18. 1 2 Sears, Emma (January 9, 2021). "Prom dress promoting MMIW joins Smithsonian show". Indian Country Today. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  19. ↑ KECI Staff (January 13, 2021). "Crow designer's creation on display in the Smithsonian, brings attention to MMIW Movement". KECI. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Red Sequined Shoes worn with Native American Prom Dress". National Museum of American History. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  21. ↑
  22. ↑ Utsi, Johan Ante; Gaup, Berit Solveig (July 13, 2019). "– Mirakel at det er fred i verden" [– A miracle that peace exists in the world]. NRK Sápmi (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.