Missing Earrings, Missing Souls. #NoMore #MMIW

Photo copyright Wings & Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Today's Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog is something very different: It's not a feature in the usual sense at all; there's nothing for sale in the post, although there is an image of Wings's work. The subject is earrings, missing ones — and the missing and murdered indigenous women who wore them.

Today's post is long, and difficult, and very, very personal. Those of you who know me know that this an issue that has been close to my heart my whole life, for too many reasons to discuss here. I've written about it at length, too many times. I'm going to ask you read it again. All of it. And then I'm going to ask for your help. It's all in the post.

And that photo? Yes, that's me. It didn't feel right to use a photo of one of the [recorded thus far] 1,181 of my sisters who are among the #MMIW, the missing and murdered indigenous women. So I took a photo that some of you have seen before, of a person you know, and I altered it to show what would happen if that person you know so well were to be stolen, to disappear — one of my sacred water birds gone from my ear, face blurred by time and societal dismissiveness, fading into invisibility both actual and complete. It took Wings aback; I hope it does the same for you. I can't even look at it, knowing what it represents for more than 1,100 women and their loved ones.

I'm also going to ask you to share the post (not this one, but the one at this link), even if you never have shared and never will share another. This one matters.

#NoMore #MMIW 





All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.