TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Cherokee Nation amplifies the national MMIP movement through a new exhibit at the Cherokee National History Museum in downtown Tahlequah.
"Missing or Murdered Indigenous People: No More Stolen. No More Silent” is open through the month of May.
The exhibit serves as an extension of the tribe’s monthlong efforts to increase visibility for the grassroots MMIP movement and bring attention to the disproportionate rates of violence against Native Americans and Alaskan Natives.
In January 2025, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons system reported 876 cases in which the missing persons were identified as Native American.
The works of several Cherokee National Treasures were featured in the exhibit, including Tonia Hogner Weavel, Jane Osti and Vivian Cottrell, with pieces that utilized colors and symbols that represent the MMIP movement.
Known for her work in textiles, Weavel’s tear dresses and ribbon shirt were created for the Cherokee National Youth Choir, which performs songs in the Cherokee language across the country.
Created in 2021 from traditional Cherokee pottery methods, Osti’s Southeastern-inspired clay pot, “Sisters Remembered,” features red hand imagery over incised pattern motifs, raising MMIP awareness as a prayer for lost and missing Native people.
Inspired by Northeastern Native weavers, Cottrell’s contemporary flat-reed basket, “We Can’t Stay Silent,” features woven curls, spirals and the red hand imagery. The basket is made from black ash, commercial dye and paint, and was created as a reminder to stay vigilant and protect Native lives.
The exhibit offers interactive opportunities for guests to engage and spread awareness with handmade MMIP awareness pins and cut-outs of the MMIP awareness red hands. Visitors can also use the chalk provided to write messages in support of victims and families along the Cherokee Cultural Pathway’s steel chalk wall.
For more information about active MMIP cases in Cherokee Nation and the tribe’s efforts to combat the ongoing crisis, go to https://www.cherokee.org/about-the-nation/mmip/.