never find one of them," she added. "And at that point I knew we were in trouble."

Didn't disclose her identity

The ship left the Thunder Bay port and ended up in Minnesota. She was able to make her way back home, but she said many others never did.

"I never disclosed that I was First Nations when I did sex work," she said. "Because First Nations girls get paid less, and I didn't want to get hurt."

She dyed her hair blonde and her fair skin allowed her to pass.

Now, working as a counsellor and advocate, Perrier said sex trade workers in Thunder Bay have told her the so-called 'ship parties' are still going on.

But police on both sides of the border deny that. Thunder Bay police say they are unawareof any prostitution at the ports in that city. The Duluth Police Department is skeptical that it's possible to smuggle women off ships in America.

"Ever since 9/11, our ports have been tighter and tighter," said Duluth police Sgt. Jeremiah Graves. "I can look over the hill and see the ships out in the bay, they're not parked at the docks like they used to be."

Graves said he's looking into Christine Stark's research on sex trafficking and believes they refer to historical accounts.

The chair of indigenous governance at Ryerson University in Toronto says it's time officials find out for sure. Pam Palmater said a full inquiry into the trafficking of indigenous women in North America is urgently needed.

The Native Women's Association has documented the cases of 600 missing or