This is the Second Episode in our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn Series. This podcast is focused on data and what Indigenous activists are doing to help humanize MMIW data.

At the end of the day, data is a collection of stories. Stories about individuals, events, and places. Providing a window into the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. When it comes to data gathering, a difference exists between the Indigenous and the Western approach. The approaches can have a vast effect on bringing relatives home. On the episode, we’ll hear from people working to decolonize data. As well as how activists are using Tik Tok to create awareness about the crisis and avoid being censored.

Stories determine what percentage of cases are solved by authorities. Or in most cases, not solved. Missing person searches and murder investigations often depend on how well they are tracked and logged by various authority groups. Since 2016 there have been 5,712 reported Missing and Murdered Indigenous People cases. Out of those, only a tiny number — 116 have been opened by the U.S. Department of Justice for investigation. Even when reports are filed, racism still plays a factor in the cases pursued by the authorities.

On the show you will hear from Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amber Crotty. Delegate Crotty spoke about decolonizing data and how the MMIW crisis is affecting the largest reservation in the US. Annita Lucchesi who is the Founder and Director of Research and Outreach at Sovereign Bodies Institute shared how she put together the first MMIW database in the US. Meghan Leinhauser spoke about Instagram, Tik Tok, and Censorship. Meghan is an ally who recently published an honors thesis at the University of Dayton. It’s titled “TikTok and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People Movement.” Liz Marin who is the Program Director of Seeding Sovereignty spoke about how Instagram censored her posts on May 5, 2021 which is the National Day of Awareness of MMIW. Dr. Charlene Aqpik Apok joined the discussion from Alaska to talk about her work decolonizing data as the Executive Director and Founder of Data for Indigenous Justice. An Alaskan Native and Womxn led non-profit which is home to a database for missing and murdered Indigenous womxn, girls and relatives data.

Many thanks to everyone for amplifying awareness around the MMIW crisis and indigenous data gathering. The stories are powerful and I am so grateful to Melissa Spence who was the Producer and Editor on the series. It would not exist without her care and meticulous attention to detail. Thank you to Patrick for setting up the interview with Amber Crotty.

Please listen, please share, and please care.

TRANSCRIPT

Yulia Laricheva 00:00

[Strong Woman Song Plays - “Hey, hey, hey yo]. Welcome to the second episode of our Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women series. This podcast is focused on data and what indigenous activists are doing to help humanize that data. At the end of the day, data is a collection of stories, stories about individuals, events and places, providing a window into the lives of the missing and murdered indigenous people. Now, when it comes to data gathering, a difference exists between the indigenous and the Western approach. These approaches can have a vast effect on bringing relatives home. And on this episode, we'll hear from people working to decolonize the data, as well as activists who are using Tik Tok to create awareness about the crisis and prevent people from being censored. You'll hear a little bit more about the censorship. Later on in the podcast, especially how Instagram censored many MMIW activists in 2021 on May 5, which is the National Day of awareness. So these stories, they determine the percentage of cases that are solved by the authorities, or in most cases not solved, and missing person searches and murder investigations often depend on how well they're tracked and logged by various authority groups. Since 2016, there have been 5712 reported missing and murdered indigenous people cases. Out of those only a tiny number 116 have been opened by the US Department of Justice for investigation. Even when reports are filed, racism still plays a factor in the cases pursued by the authorities. In the early colonial era of the United States, genocide has always been synonymous with gender violence and predatory behavior. In the current Western society that we live in now. Native women are still being dehumanized and their accounts of assault often go unreported. Systemic struggles are amplified by jurisdiction issues between the tribal, state and federal authorities. And I'll go into the story a little bit more in Episode Four. It's massively complicated as well. And it definitely needs time to be fully unpacked and to have a whole episode committed to just that topic. It is one of the many reasons why the MMIP crisis is happening and why it hasn't made national news. Now the voice that you're about to hear belongs to Navajo Nation Council delegate Amber Crotty. She was the first person that I interviewed for this episode, and delicate grody spoke about decolonizing data and how the MMIW crisis is affecting the largest reservation in the US. And I want to also thank Patrick for setting up this interview without Patrick this would not have happened. So shout out to Patrick, thank you for making this happen.

Amber Crotty 02:57

“Kiana Nina Slidell Villa Coronavirus, Chien does she need this is Jade though Bellegarde additionally, che Amber can as Bacardi Unisphere Tohatsu. They're not shot.” So I come from Sheep Springs, here on the Navajo Nation. And I'm a council delegate, and I chair the sexual assault prevention subcommittee in the work that we've done, advocating on the ground, and really speaking to our families in 2016, we lost Ashlynn Mike. She was our 12 year old relative who had just returned home. And while she was playing with her brother was persuaded to go into a stranger's van. And unfortunately, he took her and assaulted her and killed her violently. And what happened to Ashton just shook the Navajo Nation like to its core. So as parents as leadership as community members, we all gathered to help support the family. And not only looking for Ashlyn, and that raised issues in terms of the act of amber alert on Navajo Nation and what happens when one of our children go missing and how law enforcement respond and ultimately looks for the child. What we also had to do is help be part of the search teams. And we did recover Ashlyn the next day. And so her family asked that we continue to use her story as an educational tool as an awareness tool. And as a way for us to fight for justice here on the Navajo Nation so that the Amber Alert can be fully developed, and also in that same thread of supporting families who are going and healing through surviving through their violence and how they need the support when one of their relatives go missing. And so, we got together when I say we As the missing and murdered the near relatives team, it's a collective of nonprofits. myself as a council delegate with the support of the Navajo Nation Council. We've partnered with different universities. We work with our Indian Health Service injury prevention program, we have on the ground, advocates who fundraise to be part of the search effort. And we continue to like raise aw...

Episode 2. From Silence to Action: How Indigenous Data Gathering is Giving A Voice to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

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