MMIWG2S – Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit
4 out of 5
of our Native women
experienced some form of violence in their lifetime.
Source: Rosay, André B., Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men: 2010 Findings from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, 2016, NCJ 249736.
Native women face
murder rates more than
10x times
the national average
Source: Bachman, R., Zaykowski, H., Kallymer, R., Poteyeva, M., & Lanier, C. (2008). Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and the Criminal Justice Response: What is Known. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice.
Homicide is the third leading cause of death among Native girls & women aged 10 to 24, and the fifth leading cause of death for Native women aged 25 to 34
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Leading Causes of Death in Females by Age Group, American Indian/Alaska Native. 2015. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/women/lcod/2015/native/index.htm.
What is MMIWG? It is a community-based grassroots movement raising awareness and addressing the lack of response when a Native women or girl goes missing or is murdered.
What Contributes to MMIWG? 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.
MMIWG in New Mexico
There were 506 cases of MMIWG in 71 urban cities across the United States.
NM has the highest incidents of MMIWG cases at 78 cases.
29 is the median age of MMIWG victims.
Cases of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, two spirit (LGBTQ2S+) have been undercounted.
NM has two of the top 10 cities nationwide with the highest number of MMIWG cases:
Albuquerque, 37 cases
Gallup, 25 cases
Murder is the 3rd leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Natives.
Source: Lucchesi A., & Echo-Hawk, A. (2018). Missing and murdered Indigenous women & girls: A snapshot of data from 71 urban cities in the United States. Urban Indian Health Institute.
House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties hearing on “The Neglected Epidemic of Missing BIPOC Women and Girls” (March 3, 2022)
Watch our CSVANW Executive Director, Angel Charley, testify before the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties as part of their hearing on “The Neglected Epidemic of Missing BIPOC Women and Girls”.
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
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.
“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.
Resources
CSVANW MMIWG in NM Handout
Tribal Community Response When an Indigenous Woman Is Missing: A Toolkit for Action
REPORT: Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls
A snapshot of data from 71 urban cities in the United States. Read the report here.
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
New Mexico Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Relatives: Task Force Report, December 2020
