(Arapahoe, WY) – The 75th annual Northern Arapaho Powwow took place over Labor Day weekend, and one of the featured ceremonies on Friday’s opening night was a Red Dress/Red Shirt Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) special presentation organized by Nicole Wagon of the MMIP Wind River Task Force and Riverton Peace Mission.
(You can hear more about the MMIP Wind River Task Force from Wagon by listening here.)
Chico Her Many Horses served as the MC for the ceremony, Little Brave provided the drumming, and Corrine Tuma from the Navajo Tribe led the opening march.
Tuma was in attendance with Medicine Wheel Ride, which is a group of “Indigenous Women Motorcyclists and Allies who create awareness events and fundraise for issues affecting Indigenous Women and Relatives,” and also “supports groups and advocates who search for missing persons and provide support services to women and their families.”
“We ride to different reservations to bring awareness to our missing loved ones,” Tuma commented. “If you see something say something, we’re trying to prevent this from happening all over the country.”
Following the opening march, were the Red Shirt (male dancers) and Red Dress (female dancers) specials.
“I’d like to thank everybody from the bottom of my heart for bringing awareness, to say no more, and that we dance for them,” Wagon told the crowd at the end of the ceremony after all the dancers were given thank you gifts for participating.
Wagon was also present the following day during the Star Quilt ceremony for Riverton Police Department Chief Eric Hurtado, which you read more about here.
