Drummers from tribes across the region joined together in song and rhythm fro the fourth annual Columbia River Round Dance to Honor Missing and Murdered People. The event was held at the Wahtonka Community School in The Dalles, Ore. and had 200-300 attendees this year. ▣ JM Gavin/CRITFC
THE DALLES, Ore.— A sea of red draped the walls and covered the dance floor during the fourth annual Columbia River Round Dance to Honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous People at Wahtonka Community School on May 1.
During May, expect to see a lot of red. Though May 5 is designated nationally as the Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S). Awareness of the crisis is observed month-long through local demonstrations and events in communities and reservations across the country.
Dancers join hands during the annual round dance in The Dalles, Oregon. The round dance is a traditional ceremony practiced across many Nations, recognized for its role in community healing and cultural continuity. The event draws participants from across the region each year. ▣ JM Gavin/CRITFC
Red has become the defining symbol of the movement, dominating pow wow regalia, accessories, and shirts. ‘Redgalia’ specials (dance specials aimed at spreading
awareness or honoring a specific tribal person lost to the crisis) are seen year-long in tribal communities, but they are most prevalent in May.
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission’s (CRITFC) fourth annual Columbia River Round Dance was no exception. Red draped the walls, was worn across foreheads in the form of bandanas, flowed across the dance floor as ribbon skirts, and was painted on the faces of dancers and spectators alike.
The yearly event is hosted by CRITFC’s Victim Assistance Program and sponsored in partnership with tribal and community organizations throughout the Columbia River corridor. Attendees and allies were encouraged to wear red and bring photos of their missing and murdered family members in awareness, honor and mourning.
The Crisis Along the River
The MMIWG2S crisis has not spared the communities and tribal people who live and fish along the banks of N’Chi Wana — (pronounced EEN-chee-wana) the Sahaptin name for the Columbia River, meaning “the Big River.”
A young dancer wears a Columbia River Round Dance shirt depicting three tribal figures with red hand prints over their mouths during the annual round dance in The Dalles, Oregon. The red hand print over the mouth is a widely recognized symbol of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives crisis, representing the silencing of victims and the voices still fighting to be heard. Shirts, this year, were designed by CRITFC Front Office Coordinator and Graphic Designer Gabriella Lewis (Nez Perce). ▣ JM Gavin/CRITFC
The scale of violence against Indigenous women in both Oregon and Washington is difficult to fully quantify, in large part because of persistent failures in data collection. Oregon’s 2020 Oregon State Police report on missing and murdered Native American women identified poor and inconsistent data-sharing methods as a major barrier to determining the true scope of the crisis. There is no centralized database to house information on missing Indigenous people, a gap that law enforcement, community advocates and legislators have all acknowledged.
Despite the data limitations, the numbers that exist are alarming. Nationally, the FBI reported 9,672 missing Indigenous persons in 2025, with girls under 18 making up 40 percent of the total. Washington state ranks second in the nation for missing and murdered Indigenous women and people. According to a 2024 report by The Columbian, Indigenous people in Washington go missing at a rate 10 times higher than other populations. In 2023, Washington State Patrol sent 51 alerts for missing Indigenous people statewide; five remain missing, and two were found deceased.
In Oregon, a 2019 bill declared missing Native American women a statewide emergency, prompting a first-of-its-kind investigation and report. More than four years later, advocates say progress has been limited. A 2024 InvestigateWest report described conditions as ongoing and worsening, with advocates noting that law enforcement agencies have still not sufficiently engaged with tribal communities to address the problem.
Nationally, the Indian Law Resource Center reports that more than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence, and more than one in two have experienced sexual violence. According to the CDC’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, more than two in five non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native women percent have been raped in their lifetime. Indigenous women are murdered at a rate three times that of white women, and murder is the third leading cause of death for Indigenous women. Homicide was the sixth leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native females ages 1–44 as of 2023, according to the CDC’s National Vital Statistics System.
CRITFC’s Aims to Build a Safety Net Along the River
CRITFC was founded in 1977 to give the Yakama, Umatilla, Warm Springs and Nez Perce tribes a unified voice in managing the fishery resources guaranteed to them by treaty. Over the decades, CRITFC’s role grew beyond fisheries management to also provide services to the tribal members and their families that live and fish along the Columbia River.
A man wearing a red bandana dances in front of a collage covered in photos of missing and murdered Indigenous people, submitted by families in honor, memory, and pursuit of justice, during the fourth annual Columbia River Round Dance in The Dalles, Oregon. Red has become the defining symbol of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People movement — worn across foreheads, sewn into regalia, and displayed throughout communities each May, when awareness of the crisis is observed month-long across the country leading up to the May 5 National Day of Awareness. ▣ JM Gavin/CRITFC
In 2019, CRITFC created the Victim Assistance Program in its Enforcement Department that operates out of Hood River, Oregon. The program’s Victim’s Advocate serves tribal members affected by violence and crime along the river. It was a recognition that the people living and working in CRITFC’s jurisdiction faced serious threats that traditional fisheries enforcement was not designed to address. Since its founding, the program has grown: CRITFC has since hired a second advocate, expanding the department to meet increasing need.
Today, the program is led by Charlieann Herkshan (Warm Springs), Victim’s Advocate Supervisor, and Venus Allison (Gila River Akimel O’tham), Victim’s Advocate. Together, they serve federally recognized Native people affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, human trafficking, elder abuse, and other violent crimes. The team connects survivors with resources and helps them navigate a system that has too often failed them.
Services offered by the Victim Assistance Program include personalized safety planning, crisis intervention, emergency assistance, transportation, food, shelter and clothing, information and referrals to local and tribal programs, court accompaniment, tribal protection orders, Crime Victim’s Compensation applications, and prevention and education outreach.
Herkshan, who has also been the driving force behind the annual round dance since its founding, describes the program’s guiding philosophy simply: empowering survivors to find their voice and make their own decisions about their healing journey.
“We’re really just wanting people to come out,” she said at a previous event, speaking of the round dance but reflecting a broader truth about the program’s approach. “We’re doing this because we love our people, we want to protect our people, and we also love our communities that we live in. That includes everyone, not just the Indigenous community members.”
Breaking the Cycle
A woman holds a sleeping child during the fourth annual Columbia River Round Dance to Honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous People at Wahtonka Community School in The Dalles, Oregon. The FBI reported 9,672 missing Indigenous persons nationally in 2025, with girls under 18 making up 40 percent of that total. Indigenous women are murdered at a rate three times that of white women, and murder is the third leading cause of death for Indigenous women. Advocates note that before European contact, abuse and domestic violence were rare in tribal life — the crisis is rooted in colonization, the dismantling of matriarchal societies, and generations of broken treaties and assimilationist policy. ▣ JM Gavin/CRITFC
Last year, CRITFC created its Community Development Department, a new initiative aimed at addressing the social and economic conditions that contribute to vulnerability and violence in tribal communities along the river. The department, lead by Faron Scissons (Rosebud Sioux), provides resources directly to families, working upstream of crisis to address contributing factors such as poverty, housing and food insecurity, and lack of access to services, as well as supporting families in the aftermath of violence.
The creation of the department reflects a recognition that ending the MMIWG2S crisis requires more than law enforcement response. Washington state’s MMIWP Task Force, which was established by the Legislature in 2021, has similarly identified the need to address root causes, noting in its 2025 report that the crisis “is a result of generations of violence, broken promises and treaties, and assimilationist policy,” and that existing institutional structures “do not sufficiently reflect or honor the experiences or needs of Indigenous people.”
Movement is Medicine
The round dance itself is an old tradition, practiced amongst tribal communities in the United States and Canada as a ceremony for prayer, healing, and community. A host drum sings at the center of the room as participants move in a circle around them. Everyone is welcome and all in need of healing are encouraged to move their bodies.
“Historically, round dances are a closed ceremonial event,” Herkshan has explained. “They were used as a way for us to connect with our ancestors, our loved ones that have passed on, also to help us heal in our mourning and loss. When we’re out there, dancing in a circle, we’re dancing alongside them.”
Capturing the Moment
Julie Carter’s day job is a CRITFC policy analyst that works on hydropower and energy issues and other legal proceedings. However, Julie is also a freelance photographer. She is a regular fixture at Portland area school sporting events where she takes action shots and team photos.
Using a photo station decorated by round dance volunteers, Julie set up a makeshift studio to take professional portraits of attendees at the round dance. The photos give a beautiful memento to the individuals, families, and friends wanting to commemorate the event and honor those affected by the MMIW crisis. Photos from the station are available at https://bit.ly/CRRD2026.
Thank you Julie for offering your skill and time.
What began as a modest awareness event in 2023 has grown steadily. The 2024 round dance drew 430 attendees, enough that organizers moved to a larger venue the following year. The 2025 gathering at Fort Dalles Readiness Center again drew several hundred. This year’s event, back at Wahtonka Community School in The Dalles, opened with a free community meal at 5 p.m. for the first 300 guests before the dancing began at 6 p.m. and continued until midnight. The first 150 guests received a commemorative T-shirt designed by CRITFC’s graphic designer Gabriella Lewis (Nez Perce).
MCs Carlos Calica and Dasan Begay guided attendees through the evening. Stickman duties were handled by Gavin Begay. Invited singers included Erwin Scabbyrobe, Damien Totus, Leo Charlie, Wes Walsey, Elijah Denny, Marcus Wallahee, Bobby Mercier, Lincoln Kingbird, Charles Wood III and Washie Squetimkin, with backup vocals from Audrey Whitegrass, Siliye Pete, Stacey Thunderchild and Tiffany Witchenkan.
“Movement is medicine,” Herkshan told the crowd at a past event. “When we’re out there dancing, you leave everything on the floor.”
For more information about CRITFC’s Victim Assistance Program, call (541) 386-6363, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The program is located at 4270 Westcliff Drive, Hood River, OR 97031. For after-hours referrals, dispatch can be reached at the same number daily from 6:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Native survivors seeking support can also contact the StrongHearts Native Helpline at 1-844-7NATIVE (1-844-762-8433). Additional national resources include the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 and the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
*Learn more about CRITFC’s work at critfc.org.*