MMIWG2S and Strawberry Ceremony

Honouring the Strawberry Ceremony and the Lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People

Each year, the Strawberry Ceremony is held to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S), and to remind us that remembrance must be paired with responsibility.

Rooted in Indigenous teachings, the strawberry is often understood as the heart berry. It represents love, truth, and the responsibilities we carry to one another. The ceremony creates space to grieve lives lost, to honour those remembered, and to reflect on the systems and conditions that continue to put Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people at risk.

This year’s Strawberry Ceremony will be held virtually, opening the door for broader participation while maintaining the ceremony’s spirit of care, reflection, and collective accountability.

Why the Strawberry Ceremony Matters

The crisis of MMIWG2S is not historical. It is ongoing and deeply connected to colonial violence, systemic racism, gender-based violence, and the erosion of Indigenous rights, safety, and sovereignty.

The Strawberry Ceremony helps translate these realities into human terms. It reminds us that behind every statistic is a person, a family, a community, and a future altered. It also creates space not just for mourning, but for responsibility.

This responsibility has been clearly articulated through the Calls for Justice issued by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which identify this violence as systemic and ongoing, and call on governments, institutions, and individuals alike to act. 

For nearly two decades, the ceremony was guided by Elder Wanda Whitebird, whose leadership, compassion, and unwavering commitment shaped how many people came to understand both the weight and the purpose of this gathering. Wanda’s teachings emphasized that remembrance must be active, grounded in love, and carried forward through action. Wanda was a force to be reckoned with. I am deeply grateful for the time I had with her, for what she taught me, and that I was able to call her a friend. Her presence continues to shape how I think about responsibility, community, and what it truly means to honour lives through action, not words alone.

Participating This Year, Wherever You Are

Because the 2026 Strawberry Ceremony is being held virtually, participation looks different, but it remains meaningful.

Ways to take part include:

• Attending the virtual ceremony and holding space for listening and reflection.
• Learning about the Calls for Justice related to MMIWG2S and considering where responsibility shows up in daily life and work.
• Creating a moment of personal reflection using strawberries as a symbol of remembrance and care.
• Sharing resources, events, or learnings within your own networks to extend awareness beyond the ceremony itself.

Participation does not require perfection or expertise. It requires attention, humility, and a willingness to carry what is learned forward.

Carrying the Responsibility Forward

At Ramp, our work often centres on values, accountability, and the systems that shape people’s lives. The Strawberry Ceremony is a reminder that reconciliation cannot be separated from truth.

Truth requires an honest reckoning with the violence, systems, and decisions that have caused harm and continue to do so today. When those realities are softened or left unnamed, reconciliation risks becoming abstract rather than meaningful.

As we mark this year’s Strawberry Ceremony, we hold deep gratitude for the teachings shared by Wanda Whitebird and others who have carried this work with care and courage. We are reminded that remembrance on its own is not enough. Responsibility lives in what we choose to carry forward.

Participation, reflection, and learning are starting points. What matters is staying present beyond the ceremony itself and allowing truth to shape how we show up, individually and collectively.