Native American Heritage Month provides us the opportunity to celebrate the resilience, rich cultures and contributions of native communities. During this time it is equally important to shed light on modern-day challenges that Indigenous people face.
Indigenous women and girls are murdered and missing at a disproportionate rate across the United States and Canada. Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) refers to this crisis and the resulting movement that gained traction in 2015.
Understanding the MMIW crisis in the US requires a deep dive into its root causes. To guide this discussion we spoke with Trinity Locklear, a fourth-year majoring in criminology with a minor in psychology. Locklear is also a proud member of the Lumbee tribe and Vice President of the Native American Student Association (NASA).
Underreported Statistics.
One of the biggest barriers that the Indigenous community faces is the lack of representation in data collection. A 2016 study compiled by the Urban Indian Health Institute found 5,712 cases of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls were reported, with only 116 of those cases logged in the federal missing persons database (NamUs).
“Gaps in the data, like, just insinuate that the natives aren’t really around, and we’re no longer here, because people think we’re just lost in history,” Locklear explained.
This belief that Indigenous communities are a rarity monumentally impacts the treatment of MMIW cases. With underfunded in tribal law enforcement, indigenous communities are unable to handle MMIW cases internally at the rate they occur.
Law Enforcement
The Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 (ICRA) returned self-governing rights to native tribes allowing indigenous peoples to exercise criminal jurisdiction over native community members and non-natives on tribal land. The caveat is that tribal courts are limited in sentencing power, and federal courts are able to intervene in intra-tribal disputes at their own discretion.
As of 2016, 71 percent of Indigenous people live in urban areas. This means when crimes involving native community members occur in urban areas, the state takes control. With strict lines of jurisdiction, there is no opportunity for the sharing of resources between state and tribal law enforcement – cases often run cold. So, what about federal resources?
“The federal government can choose whether or not they want to [take the case]. “ Locklear continues, “If they choose not to pick something, and that person you know gets to walk free, it complicates the statistics, rates and what’s actually going on on these reservations. [With] the missing and murdered indigenous women’s movement that adds to the vagueness of our rates.”
With the federal government being able to cherry pick cases on top of the inefficient use of resources previously mentioned, Indigenous communities as a whole continue to suffer at the hands of systemic neglect.
Media
When an Indigenous woman goes missing outside of tribal lands, concerned family members are oftentimes not taken seriously. A key reason for this is stereotypes often perpetuated by the media.
Andrea Smith, author of “Not an Indian Tradition: The Sexual Colonization of Native Peoples” relates modern day prejudices to their historical context. “In the colonial imagination, Native bodies are also immanently polluted with sexual sin” Smith continues, “Because Indian bodies are ‘dirty,’ they are considered sexually violable and ‘r*pable.”
While the phrasing has changed, the underlying message has stayed the same. On this topic, Locklear says, “A lot of media and old cowboy and Indian shows are overly sexualized and stuff like that. So, in some of the cases you get this stigma [that] we are more promiscuous, we’re more exotic in a way. That does add to the gaps [in data] that are not being a serious issue. And suppose the idea of reservations, they isolate us a lot. When people are thinking about that Indian country somewhere, [they think of it] like an island. But we’re not, we’re in the middle of the country, we’re in several states.”
These narratives continue to have real world consequences.
On Jan. 7 2020, Ashlea Aldritch, a 29-year-old mother of two was found lifeless on a farm on the Omaha Reservation near her boyfriend’s house. Her family, who reported her missing days prior, also informed the police of Ashlea’s history of domestic violence at the hands of her boyfriend though no charges were ever filed.
Ultimately, the federal government took over the case and eventually ruled it an accidental death, a devastating conclusion for her family. “Wandering off” and “hypothermia complicating acute alcohol toxicity” were cited as the causes of Aldrith’s death.
At the vigil held in honor of Ashlea’s life, her mother said, “Even we couldn’t protect her, the law enforcement can’t protect her. None of our laws can protect her. That’s what we’re fighting for. We’re fighting for justice, so that we’ll never have another Ashlea. I can’t bear any of my tribal members to go through what I went through this last year.”
Our Part
As community members, it is important to seek out and uplift underrepresented voices. Now that we are aware of issues that are present in Indigenous communities, how can non-natives provide support?
“Our only ask is to show up, be present and do research” Locklear says, “We’re very understanding people who appreciate and love people asking questions because we know that we’re not taught [about] in big institutions.”
Indigenous women deserve better. MMIW stands as a powerful testament to their resilience and need for justice. It is a movement led by women for women in the hopes of spreading awareness of an ongoing crisis that has been overlooked for far too long. When unified and informed, we can enact great change.
“We have current day issues that need to be resolved, but we’re not overwhelmed with these issues. I think that’s the best way to put it, because we are still celebratory. People still live: still alive and thriving. And we do big things in life,” Locklear exclaims.
I ask that you, the reader, continue to seek out those unheard. In the face of adversity the Native American community continues to thrive and that deserves our attention.
