Beverly Lubuk

I choose certain colours to represent the healing of the hearts of the families as they find Peace in themselves. The Flower reminds us that the Beauty of those lost and murdered Spirits are still with us. by Beverly Lubuk

Denise Lajimodiere

by Denise Lajimodiere

Amanda Lundrigan

When I was beading the one with the red beads, the jar spilled and beads scattered everywhere, rolling between the gaps of the deck. Lost forever like our women. It made me pause and I said a prayer. So the red one is for the murdered women, and the purple for the missing. May they find their way home or in the spirit world. by Amanda Lundrigan

Barbara Little-Bear

by Barbara Little-Bear

Rachel Lewis

by Rachel Lewis

Rosemarie Loibl & Ingrid K. Rank

From 2 sisters for all the missing Aboriginal sisters. The red and white stands for our ancient bavarian colours which are the same colours of the Ojibway people. The red and white glass beads are made in the Black Forest and symbolize our bavarian tears for all the missing women. The Edelweiss, also called "silver star" with the botanical name Leontopodium alpinum is an alpine perennial plant native to Germany. Its leaves are covered with a whitish down and small flower held in stars of glistening whitish bracts. The Edelweiss was nearly extinguished until it got under protection. The protection symbolizes the protection needed for all these cases. They can never be forgotten. They are protected by time and with this project. The staghorn buttons are made in the Bavarian Forest - our homeland and symbolize the strength and endurance even of all the tough circumstances and big fights. by Rosemarie Loibl & Ingrid K. Rank

Barbara Lounde

The design is based on the idea of walking and the paths we all have. Some paths touch, cross each other, travel alongside - they all move in some way. by Barbara Lounde

Amberdawn LaFrance

by Amberdawn LaFrance, Turtle Clan Akwesasne Mohawk

Mary Lafford

by Mary Lafford

Janice Jainga Lonergan

by Janice Jainga Lonergan

Caitlin Morrison

I wanted to capture the pure radiance and beauty of Indigenous women's spirits. I have included the four phases of the moon, our Grandmother, and a blue background for water/sky; symbols of our femininity and responsibilities. by Caitlin Morrison

Mary.L. McDermott

This past year something happened to our family that changed our path. My 17 year old son was charged with physical abuse against his girlfriend, he was arrested and charged, as his mother was I felt so much shame and anger! I couldn't believe that my son would do this to a woman! I love my son, yet I was so angry! He was not able to return to his school because of this, he had to now attend school on the reserve. It was here he really began to learn. I talked to him about our missing sisters' I talked to him about his role as being a protector not a predator. I know my son is not proud of his action, and the remorse he shows is very real. So as I was rushing to finish my vamps he came to see what I was doing, I explained what I was doing and who I was doing it for. He asked if he could help, so I taught him how to embroidery and told him to pray while he did it. I was so proud of him and he struggled to finish, often times having to start over. I know my role as his mother is teach him to respect all living things, but I need to thank you and all the other beautiful vamps to help me teach my son to be a man. by Mary.L. McDermott

Cheryl M Morin

"Seasonal Memories" in memory of Helen Betty Osborne. My four year old nephew beaded the Northern Lights (dancing ancestral spirits)while I depicted symbols reflecting cleansing (raindrops), beauty (flower), life (water), life story (tree), snow (journey into the spirit world). I was a nine year old living in The Pas,Manitoba when Miss Osborne was taken and I have never forgotten the intensity of emotions that I felt and continue to pray and work toward helping children understand The Rights of a Child so they will grow into caring respectful and responsible people. This wonderful project has become for me a reminder that we as a collective consist of strong, kind, and caring individuals who want to create awareness resulting in change. Thank You for this wonderful opportunity. by Cheryl M Morin

Denise Pictou Maloney

In Honor of Annie Mae Pictou Aquash , Naguset Eask ( Sunwoman) . 37 years ago the one person who would have passed on this art form to her children and grandchildren was stolen from our family and Nation. Murdered by those who claimed to be traditional warriors themselves, Annie Mae represents many women who are taken in our own communities by our own community members. For 29 years our family waited for justice and in 2004 and 2010 AIM members Arlo Looking Cloud and John Graham were tried and convicted for the murder of our mother thru four trials that resulted in 2 convictions, 1 guilty plea and an acquittal. Those who conspired to have her executed lied and blamed the FBI and spun decades of lies to hide the fact that AIM members had murdered one of their own women. These individuals still walk free and profile themselves as advocates for missing and murdered woman while publically supporting her murderer John Graham. I want to thank all of you who worked so hard to give our family the opportunity to set the record straight and to share the truth after decades of lies. My daughter and I both "learned" to bead while doing this project and I wept to think that in a way my mother still managed to "teach " me how to bead. The circular design is a copy of a Mi'kmaq Petroglyph that represents the "Sun" in honor of my mother Naguset Eask (Sunwoman). The Scroll design is a traditional design used on clothing by the Mi'kmaq and Maliceet. Welalin from Mi'kmaki. by Denise Pictou Maloney

Bev Mulligan

I have been a civilian member of the Ottawa Police Service for over 19 years and am a member of the Ottawa Aboriginal Community. I haven't taken the time to learn how to bead yet but wanted to contribute to this very beautiful, meaningful and moving exhibit. I wanted to walk with my sisters. It's an honor... I used the symbol of my chosen "clan" /police family - our OPS shoulder flash. The gold ones represent the senior officers and the white represents the rank and file officers. by Bev Mulligan

Towanna Miller

by Towanna Miller

Sandra Munroe

by Sandra Munroe

Tisha McPattison

Nya:weh for the opportunity to be part of this project. I feel honored to have contributed to the memory of our sisters and the honor of our women. I have been blessed with many beautiful, strong women in my life - my grandmother, mother, aunties, cousins, sister. My pair of vamps is inspired by the Three Sisters: corn, beans, and squash. According to the Haudenosaunee Creation epic, when Skywoman's daughter died after giving birth to the twins, her head became Grandmother Moon that would look over us and from her body grew corn, beans, and squash. These plants provide nourishment and sustenance for our bodies and when they are planted beside each other, they grow and thrive together, supporting each other like we do as women and providing for future generations. by Tisha McPattison

Kaitlyn Menard

I wanted to represent the positives in this life, by showing how free these women are (bare feet) walking through our lives. I also wanted to do a dreamcatcher to symbolize happiness, the taking of bad spirits/thoughts and releasing good things out. by Kaitlyn Menard

Naomi Myran-Fosseneuve

When I first toyed with the idea of creating these, I put down tobacco in a humble way and asked for the most fitting design to come to me from the other side. I didn’t want to force anything and it needed to be true to what this exhibit would be about. Then they began to come together, and the beaded circles of the flowers bothered me. When I looked at them I saw two eyes, and they were not happy, but wide open, hungry for something I couldn’t yet comprehend. The further along I got, I realized that I was seeing the eyes of the mothers of our missing and murdered sisters. I saw they were always wide open, searching for the truth, for missing clues, and making sure no stone goes unturned. The tears became the leaves. The cloth for the edging was earned by myself after I had suffered in sundance. In the end when I was done, I respected the design. I see that beautiful things do come from very hard situations. by Naomi Myran-Fosseneuve

Leanne McKenzie

This is my attempt to produce something beautiful in the colours of the west coast native art work that is so amazing. Abalone, black beads and felt. by Leanne McKenzie

Leanne McKenzie

My 7 year old granddaughter's design. I finished them for her. I was going to straighten out the lines, but - it seemed to have a mind of it's own, so I went with it. She chose these two types of stone without knowing what they stand for. Red jasper: reduces guilt; brings consolation; removes fear of future; helps balance unfair situations; helps remember dreams CARNELIAN: protects against envy, fear, and rage; “stills the blood, calms the temper” banishes sorrow assists one in finding the right mate; calms fears about death; brings acceptance and serenity; by Leanne McKenzie

Leanne McKenzie

I made these for all the women in the downtown core of Vancouver who went missing while we lived there. ABALONE: source of protection I used Abalone for the tears and small fragments as little islands. by Leanne McKenzie

Sandra Munroe

by Sandra Munroe

Anna Martineau Merritt

by Anna Martineau Merritt

Lucy Maria

The design is two rain drops (or tears) which hold the spirit of the salmon inside. When put together they make a broken heart. The Highway of Tears is a series of unsolved murders and disappearances of young women along Highway 16 between Prince Rupert and Prince George, British Columbia. by Lucy Maria

Michelle-Rae McKay

by Michelle-Rae McKay

Lindsay Morcom

The design on these is based on beadwork on the shawl my great-grandmother wore for her wedding in 1888. by Lindsay Morcom