Statue honours missing and murdered women
Her first sight of the statue now standing in front of the Saskatoon Police Service headquarters to honour missing and murdered indigenous women was “breathtaking,” says Gwenda Yuzicappi of Standing Buffalo Dakota First Nation.
The sculpture of a woman dancing on a cloud, her shawl transforming into an eagle’s wings, depicts her daughter, Amber Redman, who went missing in 2005.
“As a mother, I would never, ever have foreseen this to happen,” Yuzicappi said Friday after the statue was unveiled. “From a mother’s perspective, to watch her daughter dance is very honouring.”
Yuzicappi often watched her daughter dance at powwows. Renowned artist Lionel Peyachew heard the story and wanted to depict Redman in art. His sculpture is named Wicanhpi Duta Win, or “Red Star Woman” — Redman’s Dakota name.
“It was breathtaking, it was beautiful ... to see her dancing again,” Yuzicappi said through tears.
About 300 people gathered under a blazing sun on Friday to see the statue finally revealed to the public. Police Chief Clive Weighill, Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Chief Bobby Cameron and Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Felix Thomas spoke to the solemn audience to pass along the message that missing and murdered indigenous women and their families are not forgotten.
“It’s our hope that this monument to missing and murdered indigenous women and girls will serve as a beacon to all residents of Saskatoon, that we must never forget those who have been a victim of violent crime,” Weighill said.
When the white curtain was finally pulled back to reveal the gleaming statue, the crowd responded with gasps and cheers.
Merilyn Napope, whose daughter, Shelley, was murdered at the age of 16, was among them.
The man who killed her daughter ended up in prison, but too often that’s not the case, Napope said.
“I would like to respect the other families that don’t have closure. Me, I had closure. I got to bury my daughter, and I got to see the guy put away. But I would love to see justice for all the families.”