Reducing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

Forward by State Representative Jennifer Jermaine (White Earth Ojibwe), District 18

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) is a complex problem that spans many jurisdictions, but when you overlay the history of Indigenous Peoples and the matrilineal nature of Indigenous communities, the problem takes on a new meaning.

Often when an individual disappears and is found murdered, it affects the entire family and Clan structure for generations. The children often end up in the Indian Child Welfare and Child Protective Services Systems. Prior to the establishment of the Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978, children were separated from their Tribes and placed with non-Native families or in Native American Boarding School. This is what happened to my family.

Read more about Jennifer Jermain’s story in the MMIWG report below.

Tribal Nations were subjected to a multitude of laws and policies that deprived them of land, attempted to assimilate them, and continues –in many ways—to oppress them. The term for this is Colonization, and the impacts of it is often seen in the form of the erasure of Native individuals, cultures, and nations. This is a contributing factor to the national and international crisis involving the missing and murder of Indigenous Peoples.

It is paramount to remember that Indigenous Peoples and governments have inherent rights and a political relationship with the U.S. government. These rights do not derive from race or ethnicity. Tribal citizens are citizens of three sovereigns: their own Tribal Nations, the U.S., and the state in which they reside. This contributes to the issue of MMIP via jurisdictional issues which will be discussed later. Indigenous Peoples are members of sovereign Tribal Nations. The U.S. recognizes this unique political status in the Trust Responsibility.

The meaning of the word “Indigenous.” For purposes of this study, Indigenous Peoples refers to those of American Indian/Alaska Native decent. The federal government and state governments use the term American Indian/Alaska Native racial category as established by the U.S. Census Bureau. When referring to individuals, this study will use the term Indigenous, but for governments we will use “Tribal Government” and “Tribal Nation” interchangeably. When we discuss other studies, we use the term that the authors used (e.g., Native American, Alaska Native, Hawaiian Native, American Indian, Aboriginal, and Indigenous) in an effort to accurately describe populations.

The first responsibility of any government is the safety and protection of its people. Historically, nothing has been more important or vital to the State of Arizona. In 2020, Indian Country in Arizona is still experiencing a public safety and public health crisis created primarily by violent behavior against vulnerable Indigenous women and family members and growing incidents of unsolved cases of missing and murdered women and girls. Arizona Tribes are in the best position to close jurisdictional gaps and safe havens for lawbreakers. The starting place to reverse historical jurisdictional problems and injustices in Indian Country, is to strengthen Tribal justice systems and improve state and federal cooperation and coordination with tribal governments. From Tuba City to Sells, federal laws and state policies should not hinder or prevent Tribes from doing what their ancestors once did, protecting their way of life.

Read more of the Executive Summary in the MMIWG report above.