On a warm and sunny Tuesday afternoon, visitors walking along Memorial Drive in Calgary encountered a poignant display that contrasted with the cheerful weather. Hundreds of red dresses, shirts, and sweaters hung from trees lining the path, each bearing the name of a missing or murdered Indigenous community member.
Red Dress Day ceremony
Calgarians gathered at the Field of Ribbons in northwest Calgary to observe Red Dress Day, a day dedicated to honouring missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit, and LGBTQ+ people. The event aimed to raise awareness and remember those who have been lost to violence.
“Red is the only colour that the spirits see,” said Vanessa Badger Hunter, the event spokeswoman. “We put them in the trees because the tree is connected to every tree in the world.”
Personal stories of loss
This event marked Hunter’s second time speaking publicly about her daughter, Willow Little Red Fox, who died in 2021. Willow had been missing for five months before her death, occurring just four days before her family was notified.
“What was really disheartening was that the Calgary city police, Edmonton police, child welfare… they all failed her because they didn’t listen to me,” Hunter said.
Hunter wore a red jingle dress, a traditional Indigenous symbol that combines healing with a call for justice for missing and murdered Indigenous people. “She loved to jingle, dress, dance — she loved her family, she loved just school,” Hunter recalled of her daughter. “She loved just being around people.”
Community gathering and healing
By 3 p.m., community members had begun to assemble on the field, sitting on the grass, in picnic chairs, or under a large tent, sipping coffee. The event, running until 7 p.m., featured an opening prayer and smudge by a community elder, along with speeches, dances, drum songs, and shared stories of loved ones and resilience.
“I hope today people take away the fact that not everybody’s invisible, not everybody’s just a piece of trash to be thrown in the garbage,” Hunter said.
Trian Knight, a regular attendee, brought his daughter Tleaha Sugar Knight for the first time. “I’m trying to show my daughter how to grieve,” he said. “So we can honour the people who have passed on and honour their memories in a good way.” Knight’s daughter lost two aunts to violence in Saskatchewan years ago, who were his sister and sister-in-law.
Knight planned to sing an honour song. “These are just songs to help them move on and help the families get through their grief, and help them just to sing and dance and enjoy life again,” he said.
As the red garments swayed in the breeze, Hunter reflected on the ceremony’s significance. “As I dance and as my jingles are going, we’re sending a message back up to them that we’re still here and we’re still saying (their) names,” she said. “We’re not letting you be forgotten.”
