First Nations Voice

PAGE 6 • APRIL 2016 Aboriginal Day Live (formerly Aboriginal Day Live & Celebration) will transform the grounds at The Forks into a daylong festival of free family-friendly activities, and a free evening concert; featuring a spectacular showcase of award-winning and on the rise, Indigenous performers. To mark a decade in the making on Saturday, June 25th; the APTN crew has created new elements to make the event it's most impressive yet! To get the first project rolling, APTN seeks help from those of you who could bring your charismatic personality to the live broadcast of the Aboriginal Day Live (ADL) evening concert. Moreover, you'll also be motivated by helping create the spirit and enthusiasm of the largest celebration of National Aboriginal Day. If this idea sparks your imagination, what will help you shine most is your outstanding knack to add a certain oomph to others online commentary as a Social Media Host of ADL. Some people are pros at online posts, but an on-air presence calls for a distinct character, and you could be that person and not even know it! In essence, you'll be running your own show by sharing the national audience's social media conversations about ADL during the spectacular live concert, while Tina Keeper and Kyle Nobess host at the mainstage! Now it's time to get filming and masterpieces aren't mandatory. So the APTN crew is encouraging any First Nations, Inuit or Métis person who is a Canadian resident and at least 18 years old to film a straightforward, unedited presentation. Think selfie but bring it to life by being fun, upbeat and energetic, and be sure you'll be able to upload your video online by April 15th. Make note that if you're the most outstanding, you'll need to clear your calendar from June 22nd to June 26th to travel and work in Winnipeg. Even if this isn't your gig, maybe you have a friend or family member who needs a little nudge of encouragement. This opportunity is open to everyone as long as they meet the eligibility requirements previously mentioned. For all the details on how to become a Social Media Host of ADL, APTN invites you to visit aboriginaldaylive.ca. This is just a sneak peak of what will form the festivities. Come gather together at The Forks in Winnipeg on Saturday, June 25th for the 10-year anniversary of ADL! Sheldon McRae, APTN Communications Coordinator HELP CREATE THE ONLINE SOCIAL SCENE AT ABORIGINAL DAY LIVE YOUR BACKSTAGE KEY TO THE 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY ON SATURDAY, JUNE 25TH IN WINNIPEG. I've heard the words before, and countless times repeated, that Indigenous men are at the heart of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). However, that is a little like looking at broken eggs without knowing how the eggs were broken in the first place. Not the best metaphor, I know but bear with me. Was the person tripped or shoved? Was it a failure of the container? I have been thinking quite a bit lately on how the culture in which I was raised (and that would be modern urban Canadian culture) has influenced the way that I have always looked at women. Rather fortuitously, there was an invite to a book launch for Indigenous Men and Maculinities that looks at how contact with European colonizers influenced and changed Indigenous men. In fact, many Indigenous cultures had a more matriarchal focus before contact. At times, admittedly, the book is a difficult read. I imagine any conversation around violence against women and the role that has been cast of women in this society will be difficult. It's a conversation that is needed and not just by Indigenous men. On the one hand, yes, there is quite a bit of violence committed by Indigenous men against Indigenous women. However, here are some mainstream stats of violence committed against women (from the canadianwomen.org website): - Half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16. - 67% of all Canadians say they personally know at least one woman who has been sexually or physically assaulted. - Approximately every six days, a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner. In 2011, from the 89 police reported spousal homicides, 76 of the victims (over 85%) were women. - On any given day in Canada, more than 3,300 women (along with their 3,000 children) are forced to sleep in an emergency shelter to escape domestic violence. Every night, about 200 women are turned away because the shelters are full. - Each year, over 40,000 arrests result from domestic violence—that's about 12% of all violent crime in Canada. Since only 22% of all incidents are reported to the police, the real number is much higher. I know that there's a lot of work to be done even trying to deprogram myself from the male dominated messages that I have endured the breadth of my life. Hopefully, the challenge won't be too daunting. By Trevor Greyeyes SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT VIOLENCE AGAINST INDIGENOUS WOMEN

• Cover