Epidemic in Red

An Epidemic in Red
By Nicole Putich

May 5 was the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), Girls, Two Spirit, and Trans Relations. The attempted genocide that began in 1492 against our people has never ended. 527 years. Indigenous people are not vulnerable, they are targeted. And although a reported 40% of Americans believe Natives aren’t around anymore, we are still here. This violence has taken many forms and has morphed along with societal changes, but it has never stopped.

All across North America there is an Epidemic of our indigenous relations going missing, being murdered, and sold into sex trafficking. The violence against Indigenous people is very real, and the mystification and sexualization from white society brings tangible harm to our communities. 84% of Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime, with 80% of that violence coming from non Native men.

No one knows the exact numbers of just how many of our women are missing and murdered, but just to give you a rough idea, in 2016 approximately 5,712 cases of missing relatives were identified, but only 116 were documented by the department of justice. 40% of the known human trafficking victims of the US and Canada are Native Women, despite being less than 7% of the population. Homicide is the third leading cause of death for Native women.

With oil pipelines come “man camps,” groups of workers temporarily living on site in mass to work. Man camps bring a rise in attacks on the Natives nearby with some Reservations have reported up to a 75% increase in sexual assaults.

This all feels very daunting, but there are several ways you can help.

Do your research of what this movement and epidemic is and say their names. Support your local tribal communities. Help organize. Give them a platform to have their stories and voices heard.

Donate. There is no reconciliation apart from reparations.

Work to support Indigenous people in your neighborhood by speaking up against the sexualization, commodification, and mythicization of Indigenous peoples. No more “Indian” mascots or Halloween costumes, sexy or otherwise. Redface is just as harmful as Blackface. Do not buy “Native Inspired” items from big stores such as dreamcatchers, white sage, teepees, etc. If our ancestors died for using it, it shouldn’t be in Target. Read up on the real history of the United States that is not taught in textbooks and teach it to your kids (An Indigenous Peoples History of the Unites States is a great place to start). Plan with your kids schools well before Thanksgiving ways to not mythologize what actually happened. Instead of insensitive paper feather headdresses and inaccurate plays, ask them to contact your local tribal community to do a cultural demonstration.

Some of this may seem unrelated to MMIW but its not; mythicization leads to fetishization, which leads to violence.

All across Turtle Island we wear red, because our Indigenous women, girls, two spirit, queer, and trans relations are sacred. They may be taken but they are not forgotten.