Building awareness for missing, murdered Indigenous relatives through art
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Members of the metro Indigenous community and allies filled the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center in south Minneapolis on Wednesday. Metal chairs lined the open community space, acting as drying racks for t-shirts, bandanas and other items people brought with them for the art-making event.
“It’s kind of a subversive way to educate folks on the movement,” said Ojibwe artist Rory Wakemup.
For several years, he has led a screen-printing event in preparation for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Day of Remembrance, which is marked yearly on Feb 14. People typically wear red while attending rallies or marches around the state.
Wakemup demonstrates how to use the printing tools to transfer designs onto fabrics, pressing white ink onto red or black shirts.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
The designs center on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives, also known as MMIR. It’s a movement that calls for action and attention towards the epidemic of Indigenous people who have gone missing or have been murdered in acts of violence.
“The silhouette, it’s kind of androgynous. [It] could be a man or a woman with feathers in their hair,” Wakemup says, describing one of the designs he has out on the table.
Similarly, the Minnesota Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office designed their logo with the same concept in mind, showing a figure that could represent any gender.
Ana Negrete is the interim director of the state’s MMIR office. She says each detail of the design was intentional, including the color teal, which represents sexual assault awareness.
“There’s a teal braid aspect of it as well, and that really represents the violence, domestic violence, sexual violence. So, we made sure to incorporate that piece,” Negrete said.
Imagery of handprints and messages in red are so often associated with the movement. The logo’s figure is seen with a red handprint, a significant symbol in the MMIR movement.
“It represents the silencing of Indigenous voices as we talk about these challenging epidemics of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives,” Negrete added.
According to 2024 data from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Missing Person’s Clearing House, over 8 percent of missing persons cases entered last year were Indigenous, which is relatively high compared to the approximate 1.5 percent American Indian population in the state.
The state’s MMIR office says they provided services and resources to 28 families last year.
Some services include emotional support, creating and distributing flyers or communication with law enforcement during an investigation.
Additionally, the office provided referrals or consultations for 10 additional cases. In four instances, cases were closed when the victim was found safe or was located.
“Anybody that has a Native family and comes from a tribal background, most of us do have people that have been affected directly,” said community member Kateri Tuttle, who has been affected by the loss of a loved one.
Another community member, Tina Guerrero, has also been affected by loss. She says she holds the MMIR movement close to her heart and has done the screen-printing in the past.
“It feels good to have the community and outer people see what we do, that we care about our family,” she said.
Wakemup says art, such as screen printing, brings those who have lost loved ones together, like a support group working to raise awareness. He says the bold images created throughout the years are hard to ignore, especially when people are adorned in red at large crowds at marches or protests.
“That’s power, right? Power in numbers. So, if you can bedazzle the numbers with that messaging, I think that’s just as strong as any message on a mic,” said Wakemup.
Negrete agrees with those sentiments, but she says it not only helps to spread awareness to the public but to also show support in the community.
“We have created symbols within MMIR that let families know that they're not alone in their fight, in their search,” she said.
Wakemup plans to hand out hundreds of red bandanas with designs printed onto them at the annual march in Minneapolis to attendees.
The march will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Minneapolis American Indian Center.
Other marches in Minnesota include:
Bemidji: After a sign making event running from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., a march will begin at the Northwest Indian Community Development Center to the Bemidji State University Beaux Arts Ballroom, where programming will continue.
Duluth: Programming will begin at 12 p.m. with a march starting at 2:30 p.m. at the Dr. Robert Powless Cultural Center.