Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Walk in Salem

Hundreds of people, many dressed in red, marched through Riverfront Park beating drums and singing in a powerful display of unity during Salem's first Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness event on Saturday, June 1.

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Walk, organized by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, hoped to raise awareness about the epidemic of Indigenous people being murdered and missing at an alarming rate.

Saturday's event is part of a larger movement to bring widespread attention to the issue. It also demands that governments and law enforcement do their jobs to bring justice in cases involving indigenous people.

Governor Tina Kotek joined the federal government in declaring May 5 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day and committed to dedicating government resources to addressing the systemic crisis.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates that there are currently 4,200 unsolved cases of missing or murdered indigenous people in the United States.

Cheryle Kennedy, chairwoman of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, spoke to the crowd before the march. She said three members of her family had disappeared or been murdered.

Kennedy said the crisis is part of the broader systemic way Indigenous people are treated. She said the problem is rooted in violence, widespread displacement of people from their lands and termination – the process of ending federal recognition and support for tribal entities, essentially nullifying treaties negotiated with the U.S. government .

The Grand Ronde ended in the 1950s and remained that way until 1983, when tribal rights were restored, Kennedy said. Kennedy was part of this long struggle for restoration.

“I think of those who are missing and who have left. Now it’s their message that inspires us to inspire and fight for what’s right,” Kennedy said. “Our spirit is beautiful, our spirit is full of love. We need to do more to get the message out so that people hear us, listen to us and are compelled to join this great fight that we are leading.

Kennedy said the continued fight for justice is first and foremost a fight for generations to come.

“May they (future generations) be safe. That they can feel safe in this land that was given to us and that we now share,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy then asked the crowd to raise their hands to the sky.

“Sky knows what happened to all our loved ones. Heaven knows it. The sky was created by the Creator. He sees everything,” Kennedy said. “We are not alone here. We must gather our prayers and our beliefs. That this thing will be a thing of the past. That we no longer have to suffer like this. And become fearful.

Kola Shippentower, of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, also spoke at the event. Shippentower is a professional mixed martial arts fighter and said she got into fighting to protect herself after experiencing domestic violence.

“I am here to gently remind you who we are…we are not weak or vulnerable. We are strong and resilient people. We are born warriors,” she said.

Love Richardson, an Oregon tribal strategist and member of her nation's tribal council in Massachusetts, was in the audience Saturday.

She told the Salem Reporter that she is a survivor. At the age of nine, she disappeared for four days after her friend's parents held her in their basement against her will. It was Richardson's sister who later discovered her whereabouts, leading to her freedom.

The people who kept her captive were charged in court, she said. This experience was a trauma that motivated her to speak out on such issues.

Richardson pointed out that many attendees at Saturday's event had a red handprint on their faces. The handprint represents their personal experience of the problem.

“Always remember. This is not a fad. You may be sitting next to a survivor or a parent who has someone missing,” Richardson said. “My teaching, in my community, is that you only wear red paint on your face if you are a survivor or if it is a loved one who has disappeared.”

Richardson pointed out that although in the early days of the movement many events focused on women and girls, the movement expanded to take into account Indigenous men who suffered the same fate.

“The male presence here is really refreshing. And it’s really astonishing because the rate of missing Indigenous men is almost as high as the rate for women,” Richardson said. “They are also disappearing at an alarming rate. »

After the walk, Aaron Weldon sat in prayer, while dozens of people chanted, waved ceremonial sticks, burned incense and beat drums together nearby. Weldon, who is Native and Mexican, came to the event from Portland with his family. Weldon said he came to support his wife, a victim of abuse, and his daughter, who he hopes will grow up in a better world.

“Originally it was for women and it evolved into missing persons in general. Missing indigenous people. And it's much more than that. These are people who have been mistreated. Sexual violence, sexual assault, physical violence,” Weldon said. “This red hand crossing the face, it represents a man telling a woman to be quiet. This is what it symbolizes. It is mainly women who speak out, men who speak out, people who speak out against violence.

Weldon pointed to a feathered staff next to him as he rolled a ceremonial tobacco cigarette and explained some of the many forms of Native expression on display at Riverfront Park on Saturday.

“In another way of being, they are our war staffs. Our weapons. We collect guns that way,” Weldon said. “In modern times, that's what we call war…That's not the only thing we call war. But this is what we call war in our modern age. Without actually going into combat and fighting. It's a political war.

Contact journalist Joe Siess: [email protected] or 503-335-7790.

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