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National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

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For the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, CHASI’s graphic design intern Celina Koops shares the following illustration and reflection.

Three faceless Indigenous women in red dresses. A child dances joyfully, an adult is guarded, and an elder is concerned.

It was important for me as an Indigenous woman to mark this day of awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. I want my illustration to honour these women, and to reflect that these murders and disappearances include women of all ages.

Their body language reflects the freedom and innocence of childhood, and how it’s worn away as we grow and understand the realities of our lives as Indigenous women. They are faceless and glowing to convey a spirit-like quality, and as a reminder that this day isn’t about only three women, but many.

The red dresses draw from the symbolism of the REDress Project, and rather than showing the loss implied by an empty dress, I chose to represent the women as full of life to honour the real lives that they had.

This illustration by Celina Koops is part of CHASI’s ongoing series acknowledging some of the significant annual observances that align with our core values. To learn more and see the other illustrations in this series, please visit our observances page.