Chenoa Landry is a member of the Puyallup Tribe and a community health worker at the Native Wellness Institute — as well as a mother, wife, daughter and sister. She is also a survivor of violence.
Landry is not alone. Indigenous women are significantly more likely to experience violence compared to other women. Crime data from the National Institute of Justice shows more than four in five of Native American, Alaska Native or Indigenous women have been assaulted, including 56.1 percent who have experienced sexual violence.
Landry was among the invited guests Thursday, May 4, as the Board of Commissioners proclaimed May 1 through May 7, 2023, as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Week of Awareness in Multnomah County.
The event featured testimony from experts who have a long history of working within the Multnomah County Native community. And it included calls not just to acknowledge the violence faced by members of the community, but to take meaningful steps to stop, and help people heal from, it.
“We are more than our experiences,” Landry said. “We have many strengths, and we are working to heal the traumas and intergenerational traumas of boarding schools, violence, and colonization.”
“This proclamation is important because it is more than just words on a page,” said Brianna Bragg, a program specialist for the Multnomah County Health Department. “It is an institutional and systemic acknowledgment that this epidemic is happening and that something needs to be done about it.”
The national initiative, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), began in response to the increasing worry over the disappearances or killings of American Indian and Alaskan Native women and girls. The rate of homicide for Native women is as much as 10 times higher than that of other groups.
“We know that this is a tragedy that impacts all of us,” said Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, who sponsored the proclamation. “Our work will not be done until there is no more discrimination or violence or hate perpetuated against these women and communities.”
Many victims are often unprotected by the American legal system, as tribes hold a unique, sovereign status, causing jurisdictional gaps in communication and services. In 2016, there were 5,712 reports of missing Indigenous women. Fewer than 116 were logged into a national database logging cases of missing, unidentified and unclaimed people.
“The difference between the number of reported instances of violence and what’s actually in the database – it’s absolutely staggering,” said Commissioner Susheela Jayapal.
Indigenous people are frequently misidentified when interacting with law enforcement or other programs, which may lead to victims being deprived of support services across different jurisdictions, including those offered by law enforcement, tribal, and community organizations.
The federal government's response to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and relatives was only recently fortified, in 2020, when Congress passed Savannah's Act and the Not Invisible Act. These bills will enhance reporting databases, and improve communication and coordination among governments, jurisdictions and law enforcement agencies.
“It is time for unity, love and respect for all people no matter their color, race or creed,” said Lucy Suppah, a community health worker for the Native American Youth and Family Center. “We are one, and it is my belief that we can conquer this crisis together.”
After reading the proclamation observing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Week of Awareness, Commissioners called for more work to highligh and correct historical injustices against Indigenous communities.
“I don’t think any of us can begin to know the pain of this injustice on the individual, on the community,” Commissioner Diane Rosenbaum said. “But we can commit to speak out.”
“I appreciate all of you being here, speaking, being so courageous,” Commissioner Sharon Meieran said, “and ask that we hold in our hearts the families who have been forced to mourn the loss of a loved one — especially without answers or support.”
In recognition of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, the Morrison Bridge is also illuminated red until Friday, May 5. Beyond being a sacred color to Indigenous communities, red is used to call attention to the issue of missing Indigenous people and the violence they disproportionately face.
