Artist Memuna Moolla, left, presents her painting, titled 'Lost Flowers', to Alexis Christensen of Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Honouring lives

Artist honours missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in painting ‘Lost Flowers’

Nov 6, 2020 | 5:37 PM

A Battleford artist hopes to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Saskatchewan and across Canada in her painting entitled ‘Lost Flowers.’

Memuna Moolla presented her painting as a gift to the Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs organization to raise awareness of the issue.

“We’ve lost something wonderful and beautiful,” she said. “I think it’s very important for people to do something about it, to become aware of it and actually act upon it.”

The painting depicts a multitude of flowers floating on water. Each flower represents an Indigenous woman or child who was murdered or is missing.

Artist and author Memuna Moolla. (submitted photo/Memuna Moolla)

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Moolla said she hopes her artwork helps people remember the lives of those affected by this issue.

“It’s very important to make people aware of this tragedy that has occurred, and is occurring,” she said. “This is not just about one particular group of people. This is happening all over the world. Especially in North America, it applies to the Indigenous women.”

Moolla added everyone should be willing to be there to help those who are vulnerable, to offer kindness and support.

“We should be there to reach out to them,” she said. “This [painting] is just a small gesture from me to help people understand and care.”

The piece will be displayed with a plaque at the Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs offices in North Battleford.

Originally from Burma, Moolla is also an author. Her book, Where Flowers Bloom: Memories of Burma, is a semi-autographic memoir that was released in 2015.

Alexis Christensen, of Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs (BATC), thanked Moolla for the gift to the organization, and the community.

Christensen said it was moving to see how “this wonderful person from another culture” has reflected the sensitive issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in her artwork.

“She [Moolla] has gifted BATC. She knows we do work in the community with several families, and even beyond the Battlefords,” Christensen said. “It’s an honour. We are going to be displaying it proudly. It’s inspiring and it’s beautiful.”

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW