'Blanket of Hope' honours missing, murdered Indigenous women

Superior Morning3:38Blanket of Hope

We hear about a very special blanket...a blanket of hope for missing and murdered Indigenous women that's being created right here in the north.The Anishinabek Nation in Ontario is creating a blanket of hope using donated earrings to represent missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada.

The collection of 1,181 single earrings will be pinned to a pink Pendleton blanket to be housed in the Anishinabek Nation offices at NipissingFirst Nation, near North Bay.

"The earrings represent women all over, and other women and people can relate to that," said Jody Cotter one of the organizers of the project.

Women especially relate to the feeling of loss when one earring in a favourite pair goes missing, she said.

"One of the earrings that I personally donated was a beautifully beaded earring and I was very sad that I lost it," Cotter said. "I can't imagine what it's like to lose someone."

The blanket is also intended to be a comfort and a gentleentry point into the difficult conversations about missing and murdered women.

Cotter said women in her office are already talking as they work on the project.

"We all share stories as people, and as women and girls, about instances where we face violence," she said. "Like when I was younger, I was almost abducted and things have happened to me still as an adult."

The blanket will travel with Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee and Deputy Grand Council Chief Glen Hare to Thunder Bay in February. They're holding a series of meetings about missing and murdered women from the 43 First Nations they represent.

Thosemeetings are in advance of anational roundtable on murdered and missing aboriginal women onFeb.27in Ottawa.

People are invited tovisit the Anishnabek Nation office where supplies are on hand to make an earring for the blanket of hope.Donations can also be sent by mail to P.O. Box 711, North Bay, Ontario P1B 8J8