Family of missing woman Happy Charles completes walk to La Ronge
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Mother’s Day in La Ronge held a special meaning this year as the daughters of missing woman Happy Charles brought her spirit home.
Their eight-day, 240-kilometer walk began May 6 in Prince Albert where people gathered to pray before family members and supporters left for the urban reserve in La Ronge. Charles’ mother Regina Poitras said they trekked 30 kilometers every day before stopping to camp and do a nightly round dance. The walk was meant to raise awareness that Charles is still missing, she said, and to bring healing to her family.
“The feather on the top of the staff is what represented her spirit, and we walked with that staff in front of us all the way,” Poitras said. “Everything just fell into place. I never thought I would walk from Prince Albert to La Ronge; I’m going to be 59 at the end of the month.”
The idea for the walk came from Charles’ daughter, Marcia Bird, who was encouraged attending a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman and Girls Youth Conference in Prince Albert. At the end of the walk May 13, Bird said her body was sore but it was nice to camp outside every night and grow closer to others along the way.
