After Lesa Semmler and her family finished giving their testimony at the national inquiry hearings into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, another family approached her and said after they heard her speak, they felt more comfortable to go up and give their own testimony.
Photo courtesy of Lesa Semmler
Semmler, who is from Inuvik, says sharing stories of past trauma is integral to healing as a community.
鈥淚 feel like we鈥檙e opening up Pandora鈥檚 box and now we鈥檙e finally going to start talking about it,鈥� Semmler said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to start working together to get healthier as a community. We can heal ourselves. We don鈥檛 need someone to come in and fix us.鈥�
Semmler and her family were the second to testify at the inquiry hearings at the Chateau Nova hotel in Yellowknife Jan. 23-25.
In her testimony, Semmler tells the story of how when she was eight years old, her mother Joyce Semmler was murdered by her common-law husband, Peter Emile on Jan. 11, 1985. Her mother was planning to leave town with her that same day.
鈥淧eople think, 鈥極h, they鈥檙e kids, they won鈥檛 remember,鈥� but we remember,鈥� Semmler said in her testimony, as she recalled the abuse her mother went through at the hands of Emile.
鈥淚 felt so strongly about being able to tell my story in the Northwest Territories because we all know what鈥檚 going on, yet we don鈥檛 talk about it,鈥� Semmler said. 鈥淪o what I wanted to show through my testimony is that we need to talk about it, and not letting it hide away. The more we ignore it, the longer the violence is going to continue.鈥�
After her mother died, Semmler went to live in Inuvik with her great-grandparents. She said this was integral to her healing process.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have to go into care, so I was able to take part in my culture, because I didn鈥檛 get taken away from my home,鈥� Semmler said.
鈥淚 worked hard, I went to school, I got educated, and I鈥檓 trying to be there for other people to say 鈥榊ou can turn your life around. It can be better.鈥� But we need somewhere that our families can get support, too, before a tragedy happens.鈥�
Semmler emphasizes the importance of healing and supporting entire families, including men.
鈥淚t鈥檚 good that we鈥檙e focusing on our women, but we need to focus on the men, too. The men need help and support and healthy ways to deal with their struggles,鈥� Semmler said. 鈥淚f we want our families to be healthy, we have to include the men.鈥�
Semmler said she hopes her testimony will help those who are living through similar situations today.
鈥淚f someone hears my story who is living in that right now, and they have children, maybe it will give them the strength to decide that they don鈥檛 want their kids to have those memories,鈥� Semmler said. 鈥淪o they鈥檒l change the way they鈥檙e living or realize they鈥檝e tried, but change won鈥檛 happen, and they鈥檒l leave a situation if it鈥檚 unsafe.鈥�
In November 2018, the inquiry鈥檚 commissioners are set to release a report that looks at the causes of violence against Indigenous women and girls in Canada using the information gathered at the hearings. It will also make recommendations as to how the systemic causes of this violence can be eliminated, as well as how to honour victims.
An earlier version of this story appeared in print and contained incorrect information. Joyce Semmler died when Lesa Semmler was eight years old. Peter Emile was not Lesa Semmler's father. Inuvik Drum apologizes for any embarrassment or confusion the error may have caused.
