Honouring the Indigenous women leaders and sacred life-givers this International Women’s Day
As we enter into International Women’s Day, I would like to take a moment to recognize all the strong, brave and passionate Indigenous women who take on the role of land defending, taking action for justice all while caring for children, families and communities. As Indigenous Rights Coordinator at KAIROS Canada, I witness every day the power and leadership of Indigenous women who carry responsibilities that are both deeply personal and profoundly political.
Across these lands now known as Canada, Indigenous women have always been leaders. Long before colonial borders were imposed, women in many Nations held vital governance roles, stewarded resources and upheld systems of law rooted in balance and reciprocity. While colonization attempted to disrupt these roles through policies like the Indian Act, Indigenous women have continued to resist, rebuild and reclaim their rightful place within their Nations and on their territories.
For many Indigenous cultures, women are sacred life-givers. They are water carriers. They are knowledge holders. They are protectors of language, ceremony and land-based teachings. The connection between Indigenous women and the land is not symbolic, it is relational. The health of the land and the health of women are understood as intertwined. When land is exploited, poisoned or stolen, Indigenous women often feel that harm in deeply embodied ways. And when land is protected, restored and honoured, communities thrive.
Land protection is not simply environmental advocacy. It is cultural survival. It is food security. It is the protection of medicines, waterways and future generations. Indigenous women have been at the forefront of movements to defend territories from extractive industries, to safeguard water from contamination and to assert inherent rights grounded in Natural Law. Whether standing against pipelines, mining projects or clear-cutting, they carry forward responsibilities gifted by their ancestors.
This labour, however, is often invisible. Indigenous women frequently shoulder the emotional, spiritual and physical weight of community care while also navigating systemic inequities and ongoing colonial violence. They organize, advocate, teach, nurture and heal, often simultaneously. They attend court hearings and ceremonies in the same week. They speak at rallies and then return home to cook dinner and help with homework. Their leadership is holistic because their understanding of justice is holistic.
On International Women’s Day, we must move beyond celebration into accountability. Honouring Indigenous women means listening to them. It means supporting land defenders when they call for solidarity. It means confronting the ongoing impacts of colonial laws and policies. It means resourcing Indigenous-led solutions and respecting Indigenous jurisdiction.
Indigenous women are not only protectors of the land — they are visionaries of the future. They remind us that justice is not separate from the earth and that healing is not separate from sovereignty. They teach us that caring for children is inseparable from caring for the territories that those children will inherit.
Today, and every day, may we uplift Indigenous women not as symbols but as leaders. May we protect the sacred. May we defend the land. And may we walk forward in right relationship, guided by the strength and wisdom of the women who continue to rise.
By Brandi Bilodeau,
Indigenous Rights Coordinator, KAIROS Canada
