TOPPENISH, Wash. – The Yakama Nation held its third annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Symposium, highlighting the ongoing crisis affecting Indigenous communities. The event was a call to action from tribal members and aimed to initiate healing for those affected.
Several speakers addressed the audience at Legends Casino Event Center, raising awareness about the significant number of missing Indigenous people. The event was not only about the statistics but also about the individuals behind those numbers.
Hailey Bass, Yakama Nation’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) liaison, emphasized the personal nature of the issue.
“It’s not just being a statistic, that it is personal, that it’s our people, that it’s our community members that are affected by it. And we want to let them know that we’re not their voice, we’re just pushing for justice for them,” she said.
Anna Olson, Washington State Patrol‘s tribal liaison, addressed the lack of recognition Indigenous people face within communities.
“They don’t think that we [indigenous people] exist. And I don’t like that. And I want everybody to be educated. I want our community-based victim services agencies to understand that there are Native American people in your community, and they need specific services,” Olson said.
The symposium, though lasting only one day, focused on an issue that persists throughout the year. Bass explained the continuous efforts made by the Yakama Nation to support their community.
“It’s doing what we need to for our people so that they can heal properly, whether that’s talking about it, letting giving them the resources that they need,” she stated, adding that they provide help with unmet needs and assistance in searching for missing persons.
The commitment to this cause is ongoing.
“If they need housing, if they need fliers, if they need help getting in contact with law enforcement, if they need help getting in contact with a certain agent that I can provide that if they need a kind of any aspects of money and anything I can do for them, I’ll try,” Bass said.
Bass acknowledged that healing is a gradual process but remains dedicated to assisting as many people as possible.
