We are proud of our partnership with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement in support of its critical mission. May holds special significance for this cause, as it is dedicated to raising awareness and honoring missing and murdered Indigenous women and people.
SRDVC is committed to increasing awareness, educating communities, and supporting efforts to address this urgent issue. As part of this commitment, we have launched a series of impactful initiatives including billboards, bus bench advertisements, and commissioned videos aimed at enhancing visibility and understanding of the MMIW movement.
One of the key highlights of our efforts is a powerful 10-minute documentary produced by Counting Coup Media, a Native-owned production company based in Spokane, Washington. This documentary underscores the significance of the MMIW mission and showcases the progress made in this vital endeavor.
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
On May 5, 2021, the Native American Alliance for Policy and Action hosted a community gathering and march with The Red Skirt Society, End the Violence Coalition, River Warrior Society, and Spokane Community Against Racism to honor missing and murdered indigenous relatives. This community gathering was one of many in a nationwide effort to raise awareness and ensure more accurate data is available regarding missing indigenous people. Local organizers of this work included Jenny Slagle, Donell Barlow, and Twa-le Swan of the Red Skirt Society, a local and intertribal community-driven organization of Indigenous women who came together to raise awareness of this issue.
Since then, End the Violence Coalition has co-sponsored an art show hosted by Gonzaga University to showcase the work of indigenous artists who are involved and/or affected by this movement. The art show featured numerous different mediums including spoken word, storytelling, regalia display, ledger art, and song. This art show was filmed by a local indigenous media group (Counting Coup Media) as part of our efforts to create a short documentary specific to Eastern Washington. End the Violence Coalition was also involved in the MMIW Day (May 5) that the Kalispel Tribe and Northern Quest Resort and Casino hosted. A number of red dresses were displayed that day (one to represent each missing or murdered woman or girl in Washington state to-date). End the Violence Coalition has also helped support Yoyot Sp’q’n’i (an indigenous safe shelter newly created in the Spokane region) and has advocated in support of more MMIW/P awareness efforts and legislation in Washington state. We have developed a close relationship with one of two Washington State Patrol Tribal Liaisons and have reached out to include local tribal family violence program leaders and advocates to help bridge the remaining gaps in jurisdiction-related and law enforcement issues tribes still face.
The Numbers
There are 103 Missing Native American Persons identified by the Washington State Patrol as of 4/1/2021. 52 Cases (50.5% of the total number of cases) originate in Eastern Washington in the 509 Area Code:
- Spokane Police Department – 6
- Spokane County Sheriff’s Office – 3
- Colville Tribal Police Department – 7
- Omak Police Department – 1
- Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office – 1
- Yakama Nation Tribal Police Department – 29
- Yakima County Sheriff’s Office – 1
- Yakima Police Department – 1
- Toppenish Police Department – 1
- Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office – 1
In Spokane, 5 of the 9 cases are children between the ages of 14 and 17. Statewide, nearly 40 percent of the active cases involve children under the age of 18 (Source). More than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women and men have experienced violence in their lifetime, and more than one in three experienced violence in the past year, according to a 2016 report from the National Institute of Justice. As stated by the Native American Coalition, “Missing and murdered Indigenous women have disappeared not once, but three times, in life, in the media and in the data.”
Native women living on tribal lands are murdered at an extremely high rate of more than 10 times the national average according to Department of Justice (DOJ).
Resources
Spokane Tribe of Indians
Family Violence Program
Telephone: 509-258-8924 or 509-724-1053
Manager-Krista Colvin: krista.colvin@spokanetribe.com
Crime Victim Advocate- Gerald Crowshoe: gerald.crowshoe@spokanetribe.com
Kalispel Tribe
Kalispel Tribe Victim Assistance Services
lgill@kalispeltribe.com http://Kalispeltribe.com (509)447-7155
Hotline: (877)700-7175
Colville Tribe
24-hour DV & Sexual Assault Hotline: 1(866)-826-3221
Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Coeur d’Alene Tribe Stop Violence Program (208)686-0601 https://www.cdatribe-nsn.gov/s…
Nez Perce Tribe
Nez Perce Women’s Outreach Program (208)621-4690, 24-hour number: 1(855)803-4685 kareep@nezperce.org
YWCA of Lewiston and Clarkston
1(800)669-3176
Counseling for Offenders
Nimiipuu Health-Behavioral Health Department: (208)843-2271