A Walk to Remember with Missing and Murdered Indigenous People

About 150 family members of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) gathered on Tuesday, September 24, at Comanche Nation Tribal Complex for A Walk to Remember.

MMIP Director Roxe Large said the walk gathered the community across the state.

“And generating MMIP awareness, you know, with the families of missing persons and then having our advocates come out and then also letting the community know that, you know, there is a Comanche Nation MMIP program and then what type of services that we offer and then just hearing the stories like from the families,” she said.

Large said it was empowering to see the families at the walk.

“Even though we were all in silence, I think we were all thinking about our MMIP people, you know, and our families, you know, and some of the people like chanting in the crowd,” she said. “It's very empowering, and…it's a spiritual moment, you know, to sit there and take that honor for our families because people may think, ‘Oh, it's just a walk,’ but, you know, this is a walk for our missing and murdered indigenous people, you know, even though physically they're not here, but spiritually they're still with us.”

Large said it’s important to gather before the Comanche Nation Fair.

“Everybody gets busy like in their daily lives, you know, in your day-to-day lives, people get sidetracked, you know, you have work, you have family, you know, you have…your business to take care of,” she said. “So, I think it's very important before the fair that we take a moment to take time to remember our loved ones and listen to their story and just to provide, you know, a good memory and then also honor them.”

There will be several events for MMIP during the Comanche Nation Fair.

“Friday, we'll have the Red Regalia Exhibition, so I'm hoping that all of the MMIP families come out if they want to dance in the arena, or if they don't want to dance, they can just stand on the sidelines with their banners or their signs or their plaques, whatever they wish,” Large said. “They don't have to be, you know, in full red regalia. They could just have like a red article on them, and if they don't want to dance, they can just, you know, stand off to the side, whatever, because this is for our MMIP families during the powwow. So, we have that, and then we have also, we'll be in the parade, and then we'll have our guest celebrity Mo Brings Plenty. He's also advocating for our MMIP families, and then we'll have his meet and greet following the parade.”

Red handprints on face will be offered before and after gourd dance on Friday, September 27, at the powwow grounds.

Large said she still plans on getting to know the families more.