(Photo by Shelby Herbert/KFSK)
Over a dozen Petersburg residents marched downtown on May 5 in observance of Alaska’s very first Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Day. It was a small affair, but marchers were determined to show up in support of Alaska’s stolen relatives — rain or shine.
It was a typical clammy spring afternoon in Petersburg. The fragmented rain showers and temperatures in the 40s had driven many in town indoors; but the seventeen people gathered under the awning of one of the local grocery stores were undeterred. They were made up of leaders and citizens of the local Tribe, the Petersburg Indian Association, as well as some folks with no formal tribal affiliation at all.
Many of them were wearing red, and had a handprint in scarlet paint pressed over their mouths. Some carried signs, which read variations of: “No more missing sisters.”
Victoria Moore wore a red ribbon skirt, made to honor the memory of lost and stolen Indigenous women. It was gifted to her by her Diné friend, and Moore has carried it with her all over the world. Even to the 2017 Roller Derby World Cup in Manchester, England, where Moore — whose derby name is “Victoria Deckem” — played for Team Indigenous.
“[It was important to the team] to wear them on a national platform,” said Moore. “To bring it to the world stage that this is a real thing and it needs to be heard. And I chose this [outfit] today to speak for the stolen sisters.”
Sha Gaaw Nathan Lopez sits on PIA’s council. He said he was there to raise his voice for Indigenous people who can’t speak for themselves anymore — because they’ve gone missing or have been killed.
“I think it’s great for us as Indigenous people to bring awareness to something that has been a problem for a really long time,” said Lopez. “Just bringing awareness to stuff that’s been quiet, and that hasn’t been talked about. That’s uncomfortable, but it’s okay to be uncomfortable!”
The group made their way down to the Petersburg Municipal Building in complete silence, briefly halting the midday traffic.
Once the group arrived at their destination, their silence was broken by Lgeik’I Eesh Will Ware, who is the housemaster of the Freshwater Marked Sockeye House. He urged folks to demand accountability from those in power who he says have failed to protect Alaska Native people.
“Today as we’ve marched in solidarity for our missing and murdered loved ones, let us carry their spirit spirits with us,” said Ware. “Let us honor their memories by continuing to fight for justice, and by building a future where Indigenous persons can live free from violence.”
He spoke in support of proposed state legislation like House Bill 234 and Senate Bill 151, which would establish a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons review commission, mandate Alaska law enforcement officers to get cultural awareness training, and direct them to update the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NAMUS) within 30 days of an initial report of a missing Indigenous person.
After the march, a smaller group broke off to meet up for snacks and coffee at the John Hanson Sr. Hall, which houses the local chapters of the Alaska Native Sisterhood and Brotherhood. It’s warm and dry inside, and people grouped up to digest the event.
Jalyn Pomrenke was there to help set up; arranging plates of brownies and chocolate chip cookies, as well as resources for the families of homicide victims. She’s not a citizen of Petersburg’s Tribe, but she is one of their employees — she works as PIA’s housing director.
Pomrenke said she’d have been there, whether or not she worked for the Tribe.
“Growing up here and in Juneau, it’s something that we talk about quite often,” said Pomrenke. “And I think a lot of other Southeast communities have been bringing it more to attention. And I think it’s just about honoring people who have gone through this trauma and hoping to break the cycle and open the conversation in Petersburg a little bit more.”
Victoria Moore stood off to the side with a hot cup of coffee. She said she marched with the memory of her friend, Tracy Day, who went missing in Juneau in 2019 at the age of 43.
“[I’m] just thinking about her… That’s what I thought about today. And to know that these stats have not been changed or updated… I’ve been reading those same statistics since [it happened]. It needs to change — not just up here, but everywhere on Turtle Island, period.“
Nearly 200 Alaska Native or American Indian people went missing in Alaska between the beginning of October and the end of December last year. More than two dozen of them have not been found.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates that more than 4,000 such cases have gone unsolved. Tracy Day — who is a sister, a mother, a grandmother, and a friend — remains one of them.
