Culture shift needed in the wake of Winnipeg attack on Rinelle Harper

As Rinelle Harper recovers in hospital, after surviving not one but two vicious attacks allegedly intended to leave her dead on the shores of a Winnipeg river, one word – a concept – has risen to the surface in the vocal and emotional fallout: community.

The notion of “community” was echoed again and again on Thursday as her family spoke publicly about the dangers faced by First Nations youth.

It was hinted at by the father of a suspect in the attack, who openly regretted not having a closer relationship with his son.

It is a concept that has been raised countless times before, as Canada struggles against an obscenely high rate of murders and assaults against aboriginal women.

"Back in the day we were sent to our elders, we were sat down and told to ‘listen to your elder.’ Today that is not happening," David Harper, Grand Chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, told the public on Thursday.

“Today, you look at television sets. You look at media and iPods and whatever. Your priority is right there, not where your elder is. Those aren’t the things we were brought up in, and those are the things we have to change.”

Harper was one of several First Nations leaders and family members to condemn the attack against Rinelle Harper on Thursday, just the latest aboriginal woman to be assaulted in the streets of Canada.

They painted an image of a justice system too weak to protect women and children, a needed culture shift that will bring an end to violence against First Nations members, and a community that braces for the worst whenever one of their own leaves the nest.

Separated from her northern Manitoba community of Red Sucker Lake First Nations and living in Winnipeg to attend school, Rinelle Harper was the living embodiment of what many community leaders hope for the next generation.

She was getting an education, paving the way for a better future for herself. And, yes, she was negotiating the dangers of living in the big city.

Her mother, too grieving to offer much comment on Thursday, called her daughter an inspiration. “She’s a big girl. She’s a fighter, she’s a hero to everybody,” Julie Harper said.

Rinelle Harper is recovering in hospital after being attacked last week while walking alone in the city’s downtown.

Winnipeg police allege 20-year-old Justin Hudson and an unnamed 17-year-old boy approached her, struck up a conversation, and then attacked.

She was beaten and left floating in the frigid Assiniboine River. When she managed to pull herself to shore, she was allegedly beaten again. The alleged attackers were also charged in a second assault the same night.

The father of Justin Hudson has spoken publicly since his arrest, saying that he had left Hudson to be raised by Manitoba’s child welfare system.

"I’m ashamed of what he did, you know," Brian McKay told CBC News. “Maybe it would have been different if I raised him myself.”

That is the extreme point of the breakdown of community some claim has led to the problems faced by First Nations communities.

An RCMP report on the prevalence of violence against aboriginal women found that most of those murders came at the hands of someone the victim knew, whether that is a husband, family member or other acquaintance. It points to issues within their community, which need to be sorted out to find a solution.

David Harper, the Grand Chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, said that many aboriginal youths who have found themselves in trouble with the law have come through the foster program. He said we all have a responsibility to connect with our families.

“We are not violent people. We were never brought up in this place to be violent, to raise violence,” Harper said. “The world has changed so much and we have got to bring back our children in order for us to walk in harmony.”