#MMIW – Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
4 out of 5 of our Native women are affected by violence today.
The U.S Department of Justice found that American Indian women face murder rates that are more than 10 times the national average.
Homicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among 10-24 years of age and the fifth leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native women between 25 and 34 years of age. – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Homicide
The legacy of violence against our Native women and children within New Mexico dates to the Spanish and Euro-American invasion of our Native lands and our sacred bodies. From the Navajo Long Walk to the slave trades in Albuquerque’s Old Town to the current struggles of cases being lost within our judicial system- this is a legacy of violence… This incursion of violence onto our most sacred… Must be spoken about. Many times Native people are targeted in bordertowns for the color of a person’s skin, anti-Indianism, and the influences of settler colonialism.
New Mexico ranks 3rd of being the “highest violent” state in the United States with 6,561 violent crimes per 100,000. When we look at border-town violence and police brutality against Native people, Native people are more likely to be killed by police officers than any other minority group in the Nation. We are #1 in child poverty, and we rank 49th in education; over 40% of our Native youth live in poverty here.
Definitions:
Settler Colonialism: “US policies and actions related to Indigenous peoples, through often termed “racist” or discriminatory,” are rarely depicted as what they are: classic cases on imperialism, a particular form of colonialism – settler colonialism…Settler Colonialism is a genocidal policy” (2 & 6). – Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz in An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the US.
Bordertown Violence: Towns that are nearby reservations that are economically dependent on Indigenous peoples and that neighbor Native Nations
Police brutality against Native people: Native people are more likely to be killed by police officers than any other minority group in the Nation.
On-going struggles that continue the pattern of structural violence:
- Jurisdictional – Federal, State, County, Tribal, Private
- Lack of – Emergency Services, Amber Alert, Counseling, Family Services
- Relationships between governing entities
- FBI and Tribal Communication
- State and Tribal Communication
- Overall Community Awareness
- Chapters, Pueblos, Apache Communities
Image Courtesy of Urban Indian Health Insititute
Resources:
S.1942 – Savanna’s Act
On Jun 28, 2016, a collective from Montana created Senate Resolution 514- Declared May 5, 2017, National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls. To read more about the Savanna’s Act click here.
Tribal Community Response When an Indigenous Woman Is Missing: A Toolkit for Action
Decolonizing Data: Strengthening Community Voices to Take Action for Our Missing Relatives
Learn how to enter your missing Native loved ones’ information into the NamUs database, CLICK HERE
REPORT: Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls
A snapshot of data from 71 urban cities in the United States. Read the report here.
“A Call to Remember our Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls” By Cheyenne Antonio
“Anthonette Christine Cayedito. Remember her name. The legacy of violence against our Native women and children within New Mexico dates back to the Spanish and Euro-American invasion of our Native lands and our sacred bodies. […] READ MORE
Slavery In New Mexico, Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women And Girls Movement, The Line
New Mexico In Focus, a Production of NMPBS
In solidarity, we are thinking of our sisters who’ve gone missing or murdered such as:
- Loreal Tsinigie
- Ashlynn Mike
- Anthonette Christine Cayedito
- …the list goes on.
