Quesnel residents are being encouraged to wear Moose Hide pins to show they won’t tolerate violence against women and children.
The Moose Hide Campaign is a grassroots movement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous men and boys who are standing up against violence towards women and children.
“Wearing the moose hide pin signifies your commitment to honour, respect and protect the women and children in your life and speak out against gender-based and domestic violence,” states a press release from the Quesnel RCMP.
As men took up the challenge to wear the moose hide pin and participate in ceremonial fasting events, women have become involved as well.
“As a result, both the campaign and the role of women in the campaign have evolved,” states the release. “While the campaign still focuses on engaging men, it has grown to engage all Canadians in ending gender-based and domestic violence against woman and children.”
Locally, Moose hide pins will be available at the Quesnel Tillicum Society Native Friendship Centre at 319 North Fraser Dr. and the Quesnel RCMP Detachment at 584 Carson Ave.
Wearing a pin supports the Moose Hide Campaign’s goal of distributing 10 million moose hide pins across Canada and the world to end violence against all woman and children.
The Moose Hide Campaign started in August 2011 when an Indigenous man named Paul Lacerte and his daughter Raven were hunting moose near the infamous Highway of Tears, a section of highway between Prince George and Prince Rupert where dozens of women have gone missing or been found murdered. Watching his young daughter skin the moose that was feeding his family and providing moose hide for cultural purposes, Lacerte started thinking about using the moose hide to inspire men to become involved in the movement to end violence against women and children. Together with family and friends, Lacerte and his daughter cut the moose hide into small squares and started the Moose Hide Campaign.
Since then, more than one million squares of moose hide have been distributed, and the Moose Hide Campaign has spread to communities and organizations across Canada, according to the campaign’s website. Local campaigns have started in government offices, in colleges and universities, on First Nations reserves, in Friendship Centres, in community organizations, and within individual families.
This year, local residents can also travel to take part in the Provincial Gathering and Day of Fasting in Victoria and Regional Gathering in Prince George, which will both be held Wednesday, Feb. 13. Anyone who is planning to attend is asked to register online at https://moosehidecampaign.ca/events/provincial-gathering.
For more information about the Moose Hide Campaign in Quesnel, contact Const. Jen Tate of the Indigenous Policing Services section at the Quesnel RCMP Detachment at 250-992-9211.