A Winnipeg photographer is using an old-fashioned technique from the 1800s to capture the pain, sorrow and strength of indigenous women today.
The photos that line the walls of a Winnipeg shop look as though they could be more than a hundred years old, but small details give away the modern-day subjects. In one of the faded black-and-white images, a woman wearing a tank top and hoop earrings stares straight into the lens. In another, three sisters in skinny jeans stand united with their hands on each other’s shoulders.
Behind each of these faces in is the story of an indigenous woman who is missing or has been murdered. The exhibit entitled “Dignity: The Strength of Indigenous Women” showcases photos of 20 family members of missing and murdered women.
“This is their chance to use the lens as the eyes of anybody who has ever done them wrong, and they can look into the lens and let these people know how they’ve affected them, how they feel, what they are thinking,” photographer Jon Adaskin told CTV News.
Adaskin said he wanted to open non-indigenous peoples’ eyes to the injustices that indigenous people face. To capture the subjects and their feelings, he used a photography technique called wet plate collodion. The style dates back to the 1850’s and requires subjects to look into the camera for a sustained period of time. The technique produces a haunting quality to the powerful images of the families impacted by these tragedies.
Jennifer McPherson was murdered in 2013. She was killed by a man who also admitted to murdering Myrna Letendre, another missing Winnipeg woman. McPherson’s sisters say the photo they posed for is a sign of their strength and love.
“That we went on and we live for her. We keep her in our hearts every day, and this is a powerful photo that says we are left to carry on her spirit,” her sister told CTV Winnipeg.
As many as 200 Manitoba women and girls are among the 1,200 missing and murdered indigenous women across Canada.
NDP MLA Nahanni Fontaine has worked with many of the families and helped several of them connect with Adaskin for the photo series.
“Once we kind of showed a couple of the families the photos, they’re so stunning, so hauntingly beautiful that other families wanted to participate,” Fontaine said.
With a report from CTV Winnipeg’s Jill Macyshon
