HBMI Tribal Council proclaims Domestic Violence Awareness Month

    Tribal Chief Brenda Commander and Tribal Councilors Linda Raymond, Tina Beaver, Mike Kelley, Gloria Tomah, Joshua Toner and Sandra Hayes signed a Proclamation Declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month at their Council meeting on September 30.
Contributed photo
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS — Members of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians have designated October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month with special events and T-shirts to draw attention to the issue.
    On Oct. 8, the Maliseet Clinic observed National Healthcares About Domestic Violence Day.  Employees of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians could be seen wearing purple T-shirts to work to show in a very visible way their support for ending domestic violence.
    Maliseet youth are participating in a pledge to do no harm to another with their words or their hands.  Catherine St John, shelter coordinator and trained peaceable stories presenter, will be speaking to the children at the Maliseet Headstart and Maliseet youth groups and engaging them in visualizing a world without violence. 
     The Maliseet Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program will hold a grand opening of Nuhkomoss Wik, an emergency shelter for battered women and their children at 2 p.m. on Oct. 22.
    The Maliseet 11th annual Candlelight Vigil will be held on Wednesday, October 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Maliseet Riverside Gymnasium. Everyone is invited and welcomed to attend the Candlelight Vigil, which will feature an opening by Maliseet Tribal Chief, Brenda Commander, Traditional ceremony led by Imelda Perley, drumming by the Maliseet women’s drum group the Four Winds, candle lighting ceremony, and candle walk followed by refreshments.
     For more information about the Maliseet Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program or about any of the October Domestic Violence Awareness events please call the Program Director Jane Root or Shelter Coordinator Catherine St John at 532-6401.