May 13, 2022

Upcoming Exhibit

"Portraits in RED, Missing & Murdered Indigenous Peoples Painting Project"

We are honored to announce that as part of our 2022 Nowashe Village programming we will be hosting the exhibit, "Portraits in RED, Missing & Murdered Indigenous Peoples Painting Project" by artist, Nayana LaFond.  The exhibit will be on display from October 8, 2022 thru November 5, 2022, and we will be having a reception for the artist on October 14, 2022 from 5-7pm. More details about the exhibit and the artist, along with our 2022 Nowashe calendar of events will be available soon on the Nowashe website.

Sobering Statistics

In 2021, 5203 Indigenous Women were reported missing to the FBI. That is 2 1/2 times higher than any other race in the US. (MSNBC)

Murder is the 3rd leading cause of death for Indigenous Women and they are murdered at a rate 10X higher than the national average (Centers for Disease Control).

More than 4 out of 5 Indigenous Women have experienced violence (84.3%) (National Institute of Justice Report).

A Growing Awareness

In 2017, by unanimous consent, the United States Senate passed a resolution designating May 5, 2017, as the “National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.”

It was introduced by Montana Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester in response to the murder of 21 year old Hanna Harris on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation as well as other abductions and killings of Native women across the United States. May 5th was Hanna's birthday.

Savanna's Act, named for 22 year old Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a member of the Spirit Lake Nation who was eight months pregnant when she was murdered by a neighbor, was signed into law in 2020.

Also signed into law was the Not Invisible Act.  These laws aim to strengthen training, coordination, data collection and other guidelines across federal agencies  related to cases of murdered or missing Native Americans.

An Ambitious Project

Anonymous 3 Woman of the White Buffalo

"This project is different then any other project I have done before. Immediately upon realizing it would go on past one painting, I knew that it needed to be something I did not personally profit from. Each family, survivor and activist who I work with to create these images trusts me with their or their loved ones likeness, and I take that very seriously.

When a family or individual first approaches me about doing a piece I am always met with 'how much does it cost?' The answer to that is always free.

I also give as many free prints as requested when the final painting is completed. The family or individual gives written consent for their or their loved ones likeness to be painted by me.The family or individual give written permission for me to exhibit the paintings to raise awareness about MMIWG/P as well as share the images for any promotional information about the exhibitions."-Nayana LaFond

Providing a Platform

"They (the family or individual) choose what is included and not included for information, what they want to share about their story or their loved ones story. Some share a lot and some share almost nothing. I feel its important to respect this.

This project is about each person and their story. If I am asked to speak about the project I will always focus on the stories I am entrusted to share, and often hand the platform to the person or family.

Often these families, and survivors, and activists are not heard. If me painting these paintings is providing them with a platform to discuss this topic, then I should provide that platform to them. This is a very sensitive subject for many people which is why this message is so important and I am seeking to provide a space and a facilitation for those silenced to be heard. " -Nayana LaFond, artist, curator and artivist, pictured right.

Sources used for this Musing are listed below.

Artist Nayana LaFond website

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's Day, Symone, MSNBC

National Indigenous Women's Resource Center website

Native Women's Wilderness website

Women of the White Buffalo documentary by Deborah Anderson

Yellowstone Valley Woman Magazine March/April 2020 Issue