In remembrance of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR), Durante Blais-Billie and Dr. Tomasina Chupco led the second annual walk of prayer for justice, unity, and remembrance. Every first week of May, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) Week of Action is a sacred call to honor MMIW, girls, and two-spirit (LGBTQI+ identifying) relatives by uplifting their names, stories, and spirits. For decades, American Indians and Alaska Natives have experienced violence, murder, and abduction—this epidemic of underreported crimes continues at an alarmingly disproportionate rate today, according to the U.S. Department of Interior and Indian Affairs.

For American Indian and Alaska Native women, four in five have experienced violence in their lifetime according to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC). This includes sexual
violence, physical intimate partner violence, and stalking, making murder the third leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Native women according to the Urban Indian Health Institute.

In partnership with the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, an exhibit conceptualized and cocurated by Lorelei Tommie titled “Seeing Red,” was displayed alongside signage of loved ones who’ve passed on. The traveling piece, initially featured in the Nook Gallery at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum on the Big Cypress Reservation, is partly inspired by the case of Owachige Osceola. Nearly 14 years ago, the tribal
member was murdered and found dead in her apartment in Norman, Oklahoma; no one has been charged in connection with her murder. Osceola was 27 years old.

Blais-Billie, a social responsibility specialist and recipient of the 2023 Freedom Award from the Protect All Children from Trafficking (PACT) organization, opened the walk on May 12 at the Howard Tiger Recreation Center in Hollywood with a prayer by Madison McKinney of the Dakota Oyate tribe, “Creator who bears the hurt of the world, we pray for the grace, courage, and wisdom to bear one another’s burdens; to sit in silence with your children who are in pain, who grieve, who endure heartbreak beyond our imagining, to sit in silence until a place of love is reached.”

Blais-Billie and Chupco led the milelong walk with prayer chants, offering tribal and community members moments of silence along the route.

“I want to remind everyone that as we’re getting into this exercise, to have your own prayer— your own intention to carry you through this action,” said Blais-Billie. “It’s very powerful when we all come together and carry meaningful thoughts or memories of these women with us.”

Blais-Billie and Chupco shared resources for those looking to take action and stay informed on this crisis. “A great resource is the NIWRC,” said Chupco, founder of Indigenous Intentions. “They host webinars and events. We, ourselves, are trying to build and expand across the Seminole reservations to bring more workshops and events like this to their communities.”

The NIWRC is a Native-led nonprofit organization dedicated to ending violence against Native women and children, providing national leadership by uplifting the collective voices of grassroots advocates
and offering culturally grounded resources, technical assistance and training, and policy development to strengthen tribal sovereignty. Additional resources include the StrongHearts Native Helpline—a safe, confidential, and anonymous domestic and sexual violence helpline for Native Americans and Alaska Natives. For support and advocacy, call 1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483).

“When many Seminoles think of MMIR, they picture these cases happening in remote, faraway reservations,” said Blais-Billie. “They imagine it looking like being kidnapped off the side of the road,
but what a lot of individuals don’t realize is that this crisis of violence happens every day. Whether it’s dating violence, online harassment, or stalking—those are all cases within the crisis of MMIR.”

For allocating local resources, visit thehotline.org.