By CHRIS AADLAND, Reporter
MISSION – Red dresses and shirts with messages or names of murdered or missing people, personalized messages planted outside on miniature dresses and a parade of community members wearing red helped demonstrate on Monday that their loved ones haven’t been forgotten and that solutions are still needed.
The displays were part of two Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) events, where community members remembered missing or murdered loved ones and called for action, held as part of a nationwide week to draw attention to the disproportionate rates that Indigenous people go missing and experience physical and sexual violence.
“We want to bring healing to our community for those who are missing, murdered or have been trafficked and are trying to come back to who and what we are as Indigenous”, said CTUIR Family Violence Services Program Manager Desiree Coyote, adding that Monday’s events show people that “We are not invisible” and honor families who have experienced the crisis.
Outside the Nixyáawíí Governance Center (NGC), the Nixyáawíí student drum group performed honor songs and Umatilla Master Speaker Fred Hill offered a prayer to open the weeklong display that includes the names of CTUIR tribal members who were victims. Enola Dick, lead advocate for CTUIR’s Family Violence Services, read out their names as each name was punctuated by a beat of the drum.
Family Violence Services organized the display and hosted opportunities last week for people to make their own memory dresses or shirts. They then posted a circle of red dress silhouettes with hand drawn messages like “Invisible No More” and “Say their Names” around the NCG.
After the morning ceremony, about 40 people participated in a remembrance walk organized by Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center’s Tribal Tobacco Prevention Program.
Walkers shared lunch afterwards, taking in slideshows and information about the high rates of violence Indigenous people face while decorating ribbons with names of people they know who disappeared or were killed to be displayed at Yellowhawk.
The CTUIR is holding its remembrance events this week to draw attention to the crisis and call for changes to address obstacles, system shortcomings and other root factors that have led to the crisis.
“There is a lack of accountability, a lack of transparency with regard to addressing the violence that occurs against our people,” Coyote said.
She said systems that are supposed to protect or provide justice to Indigenous people need to do a better job of taking cases involving Native Americans seriously and collect better data. Too often, Coyote said, cases involving Indigenous people have been ignored or aren’t prioritized.
In a proclamation naming May 5 as MMIP Awareness Day in Oregon meant to raise awareness and as a call to action for Oregonians, Gov.Tina Kotek said the state was committed to addressing causes and systemic obstacles that have contributed to the disproportionate rates of Native people facing violence or going missing.
The CTUIR community hasn’t been untouched by the crisis or problems that contribute to it. Many tribal members who are counted in those statistics were recognized by name Monday – whether it was having their name mentioned during the morning ceremony, having their name displayed outside, or posted at Yellowhawk.
Family Violence Services advocate Enola Dick said the event and reading of names was meant to honor and recognize family members and show them that “we haven’t forgotten about their missing loved ones.”
The display outside the NGC will remain through the end of the week. A closing prayer and songs are scheduled for May 10 at 2 p.m.
