Honour Walk begins in Saskatoon, headed to Winnipeg
Two First Nations University of Canada students want to bring light to Indigenous injustices
Kayla Ironstar-Muray and Katrina Smith are not only taking a political stand, but a spiritual one as well.
The woman were sent off with a traditional honour song at 9 a.m. C.S.T. Monday morning from the Court of Queen's Bench in Saskatoon.
They plan on stopping at every Federal Courthouse on the way, and hope they will get support and attention from government officials.
There are so many gaps within the justice system- Kayla Ironstar-Muray
Both said they feel 'enough is enough' in regards to the injustices Indigenous youth face in the justice system.
"The misrepresentation of Indigenous youth in the Canadian Justice system, the statistics are so high.... its phenomenal how high they are," said Kayla Ironstar-Muray
"There are so many gaps within the justice system that our people are suffering in every aspect."
This walk was organized with the hope to bring a positive light and change to communities.
Organizer—and walker—Katrina Smith said the reason the duo plans to finish the honour walk in Winnipeg is because both Saskatchewan and Manitoba have a strong Indigenous population. They hope their journey will inspire other Indigenous youth to stand up for the inequalities and injustices that have happened over the past year.
"There have always been a tradition of honour walks with First Nations people," Smith explained.
"We also have a community challenge out there to teachers that if they would like to get their student to walk a kilometre, record all those kilometres they have racked up, then we can drive that distance...that will be their contribution. We want it to be youth driven."
Right now the women plan on sleeping in a tent during the night, and walking as far as they can daily.
They will also be using the Freedom and Injustice Walk Facebook page to keep people informed and up-to-date on their locations in case others want to join.