St. Joseph’s Indian School Conducts Ceremony for MMIR

St. Joseph’s Indian School students in first through twelfth grades and staff gathered for a solemn event. The gathering was a ceremony to pray, raise awareness and request healing and resolution around the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR/MMIP/MMIW).

The ceremony started in the Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel with a prayer service and moved outside to the Wisdom Circle. Expressions of grief and healing included a round dance with prayer and healing songs by the school’s Pahá Makȟásaŋ Lowáŋpi (Chalk Hills Singers drum group). Students also made prayer ties to be used in ceremonies throughout the spring to continue to remember and prayer for MMIR victims.

The event culminated with a walk to American Creek Park to build community awareness. Students and staff proudly wore t-shirts for the event designed by sixth-grader Owen Goodlow, whose artwork was the winning submission.

Native women on reservations, experience a murder rate ten times higher than the national average and is the third leading cause of death. Men and children also experience higher rates of disappearance and murder. The school’s Counseling Services Department that organized the event understands that many students know these realities firsthand. The ceremony provided the opportunity to acknowledge loss as well as educate about protective factors.