The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians’ (GTB) held its 5th annual Missing Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) Day event on Tuesday afternoon.
The event, which was open to the public and intended to remember and raise awareness for MMIP, was held this year at the Eyaawing Museum and Cultural Center in Peshawbestown. May 5th is marked as a National Day of Awareness for MMIP, a national movement that addresses the need to end violence against indigenous people.
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs, Native American and Alaska Native rates of murder, rape, and violent crime are all higher than the national averages. A 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice has found that more than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women, 84.3%, have experienced violence in their lifetime, including 56.1% who have experienced sexual violence.
