For International Women鈥檚 Day, Monday, March 8, Trinity Western University (TWU) commemorated the occasion with an outdoor story walk at the 91原创 campus to remember missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada.

It was the creation of TWU Siya:m and director of the Institute of Indigenous Issues and Perspectives, Patricia Victor.

鈥淓very Indigenous community across Turtle Island (a name for the continent of North America) faces and has family members that are either murdered or missing; and it affects all of us,鈥� Victor said.

鈥�(The story walk) is a remembrance of their lives.鈥�

READ ALSO: Moose Hide Campaign Day about missing and murdered women marked by 91原创鈥檚 Trinity Western University

It is close to home for Victor, who is St贸:l艒, from Cheam First Nation.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a personal journey for me as well, in the sense that I have a dear precious friend that just recently 鈥� 49 weeks ago 鈥� her daughter, in her early 20s, went missing,鈥� Victor shared.

鈥淸They are] still looking for her and there are no clues to what happened. She was home one day and gone the next, and then never to be found.鈥�

READ ALSO: Running to remember: 91原创 athlete takes part in 725km journey for missing women

As Trinity Western鈥檚 University Siya:m, Victor supports Aboriginal students directly as a coach and mentor, and works closely with faculty to ensure that Aboriginal perspectives are integrated in all disciplines.

Victor hopes that the story walk will help raise awareness among Canadians.

鈥淚t seems to be that sense that Indigenous women and girls aren鈥檛 valuable; they鈥檙e not worth anything,鈥� Victor commented.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really important that we remember. It鈥檚 really important that we take a look at the justice system that doesn鈥檛 seem to place priority upon missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.鈥�

During the process of setting up the story walk, Victor began by singing two prayer songs.

She explained the first was 鈥渁 prayer to honour God. It鈥檚 a prayer to remember our ancestors, (and) it鈥檚 a prayer for our future generations.鈥�

鈥淭he song at the end is a song speaking of the voice of the murdered and missing Indigenous women,鈥� Victor said. 鈥淏oth of the songs I sang today were written by St贸:l艒 elders in our community, and we want to give them honour for sharing their gift with us today. They鈥檝e long gone on, and so (the intent is) to carry on their tradition and their heart.鈥�

Following the songs, cedar boughs were placed above the story walk鈥檚 trellises, as well as around the garden walk way.