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Dominant Culture

The dominant cultures surrounding missing and murdered indigenous women and girls are very different between First Nations communities and the general Canadian public. 

Indigenous dominant culture

The dominant culture in First Nations communities surrounding MMIW is rooted in a need for justice. Aboriginal people are all too aware of the atrocities and misinformation surrounding these missing and murdered women, so much so that it has become a dominant part of their daily lives and culture to fight and search for justice for these women.

General Canadian Dominant C​ulture

In general Canadian culture the issue concerning missing and murdered indigenous women is not a dominant part of their lives or even their knowledge. Until recently the mainstream media did not adequately show the importance and magnitude of the issue facing Canadians, so many Canadians were not aware and it was not a large part of their culture. Many articles on MMIW end up victim blaming “because many of the victims were poor sex workers and/or Aboriginal, the women were labeled as “high‐risk,” implying that violence occurred because women put themselves at risk” 1. Because of the lack of actual truthful and respectful articles in mainstream media the dominant culture surrounding this issue is created through misinformation. 

Dominant Culture in the News 

Are missing & murdered Aboriginal women not considered “newsworthy”?

December 10, 2011

  • Non-Aboriginal women were mentioned in the local press a total of 511 times compared to just 82 times for Aboriginal women;

  • While there were 187 articles about non-Aboriginal woman, Aboriginal women received just 53 articles

  • 135,249 words published in articles related to non-Aboriginal women’s disappearances/murders, compared to 28,493 words about Aboriginal women

  • Of related first page articles, 37% featured non-Aboriginal women while only 25% of articles featured Aboriginal women

'Culture is so much a part of healing': MMIW public forum audience share stories

February 01, 2017

"My aunts were murdered. They were hitchhiking home. They weren't hookers or prostitutes or drug addicts or alcoholics. They were beautiful young women in their late teens and early 20s," Lillian tells Tremonti. 

'We're back again. We want justice': Activists hold vigil on Parliament Hill for missing and murdered women

October 24, 2016

'Shouldn't have to beg'

Native women's activists have been organizing vigils across Canada dating back to 2006. They expressed frustration Tuesday that nothing has changed.

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Works Cited 

Gilchrist, Kristen. "Newsworthy" Victims? N.p., Dec. 2010. Web.

 

 

Troian, Martha. "Are Missing & Murdered Aboriginal Women Not Considered "newsworthy"?" MediaINDIGENA. N.p., 11 Dec. 2010. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.

 

 

"'Culture Is so Much a Part of Healing': MMIW Public Forum Audience Share           Stories." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 02 Feb. 2017. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.

 

News, CBC. "Trudeau Tells Crowd at Missing Indigenous Women Vigil Things Can't Change   Overnight." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 04 Oct. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.

 

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