Both the Suquamish and Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribes held marches May 5 to bring awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous women and people.

The Suquamish march, organized by the tribe’s Integrated Victims Services team, was driven by drummers and singers and traditional dancers from Chief Kitsap Academy and canoe families throughout the area, per the tribe’s Facebook page. Many in attendance wore the images of loved ones lost and spoke of their memories at the House of Awakened Culture.

PGST community members and supporters gathered for its 6th Annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives Walk. Hosted by the tribe’s Crime Victim Services Program, the walk honored the vulnerable Indigenous women, girls, and other Native people whose lives have been cut short by violence, per a news release.

The event began with a song from the S’Klallam Singers and a prayer for those impacted from Pastor Kari DeCoteau of the S’Klallam Worship Center. Attendees wore event t-shirts, and some placed a red handprint over their faces, representing the symbol of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement.

Around 100 individuals then walked from Gliding Eagle Marketplace down to the PGST Government Center. After lunch, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a Healing Circle to share their feelings, thoughts, and experiences, including personal stories about those who have been lost.

The MMIW movement raises awareness about the disproportionately high levels of violence faced by Indigenous women and girls globally, per the release. PGST added the ‘R’ to recognize the relatives who grieve.

While the MMIWR Walk is an annual event, PGST Chairwoman Amber Caldera and Chris Barone, director of PGST Court Services, have been working together to create a Tribal Community Response Plan, which will set forth guidelines for law enforcement, victim services, communications, and community outreach. The plan is expected to be in place by May 2026, the release says.

PGST is also one of 31 tribes across the U.S. to have implemented the Violence Against Women Act’s Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction, which allows tribes to pursue criminal charges against non-Indians in domestic violence cases.

PGST courtesy photo Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe members gathered for its 6th Annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives Walk May 5.