A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
Kahetahawi and Konwahahawi drawing on the front of the wedding dress as part of the Wedding Dress Project.
Sophia Terrance, Shyah Terrance and Evan Zera display their faceless dolls. In the end there should be 1200 dolls to represent the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women of Canada.
Michelle Terrence and Giuliana Terrance working on a faceless doll at Community Craft Night last Friday.
On Friday, July 24, the Akwesasne Family Wellness Program (AFWP) and Walking With Our Sisters Akwesasne (WWOS) collaborated to host a Community Craft Night at the St. Regis Mohawk School. The event had community members participate in the Wedding Dress Project and the Faceless Doll Project.
The Wedding Dress Project is meant to get people to talk about a variety of things. It is meant to help survivors or those experiencing domestic violence cope with and grow beyond their experiences; to help teens envision and engage in dialogue about what healthy relationships look like; and to help all participants learn to recognize early warning signs of domestic abuse.
Abe Francis from AFWP said he added to discussion, asking questions like, "What does marriage mean in Akwesasne? How has it fit and been adapted in our culture?"
Francis shared that a survey done in 2011 found that 1 out of 5 Akwesasronon are survivors or experiencing domestic violence, both men and women. He said, "We don't want people to remain silent."
Francis has also been around the community with the Faceless Doll Project, already attending the Snye Recreation Summer Program, and next he is going to the Akwesasne Boys & Girls Club. He hopes to have 1200 dolls made to represent the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in Canada.
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