New members appointed to the MMIP working group

GREAT FALLS — Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen was on hand at Great Falls High School on Wednesday to announce appointments to the Montana Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force.

In 2023, the Montana State Legislature approved ten additional years of funding for the task force, providing its members with long-term support to complete its projects.

“We found that in Montana, the rate of disappearance of natives is about four times higher than that of other races,” explains Dana Toole, chief of the special services office.

In fact, 31% of the 1,386 missing people reported in Montana in 2023 were Indigenous.
The work groups' goals include reducing missing indigenous persons in Montana while identifying the needs of families, creating a communication network between tribal communities and tracking data on missing persons reports.

They also exist to eliminate jurisdictional barriers.

“We have no criminal jurisdiction over Indian reservations in Indian country. This is a jurisdiction that belongs to the federal government. And if they decide not to prosecute, then that jurisdiction passes to the tribal government. And they are also bound and limited by federal law,” said Attorney General Austin Knudsen.

This was the task force's first in-person meeting since the Legislature's decision.

“We can keep people on this task force. We can keep our eyes on this. We can continue to have the same people and the same skills,” Knudsen said.

Knudsen ceremonially presented task force members with certificates recognizing their appointment or reappointment to the task force.

These individuals are:

• Alan Doane, Montana Attorney General's Office
• Yolanda Fraser, Northern Cheyenne Tribe
• Brian Frost, Montana Department of Justice
• Stacie FourStar, Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Fort Peck
• Chrystal Hickman, Montana Office of Public Instruction
• Cheryl Horn, Fort Belknap Indian Community
• Iris Kill Eagle, Little Shell Chippewa Tribe
• Danielle Matt, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
• Amanda Myers, United States Attorney's Office
• Haley Omeasoo, individual member
• Dr. Alan Ostby, Indian Health Services
• Derek Werner, Montana Highway Patrol
• Jonathan Windy Boy, Chippewa Cree Tribe
• Sarah Wolftail, representing the Blackfoot Nation

Little Shell Chippewa representative Iris Kill Eagle said it's good to have a sense of safety and collaboration again. She recognized the good work the task force did pre-COVID, citing its community outreach efforts. At the time, the task force held educational meetings on each reservation, disseminating information.
She is now ready to get back on track.

“We still hear from people that people don't take it seriously when their loved one goes missing. There remains the distrust of families who do not want to contact local law enforcement. So we hope to be in the middle where they feel comfortable coming to us,” says Kill Eagle.

The task force says it hopes to hold an in-person meeting once a year to analyze its progress and adapt its strategies to keep Indigenous people as safe as possible.

“[We’re] letting our Indigenous communities know that they are represented and that they have someone to turn to to be their voice,” Kill Eagle finished.

The MMIP task force was first formed in 2019 following concerns expressed by Democratic Rep. Tyson Running Wolf of Browning.