Justice for Murdered & Missing Indigenous Women: Allow Tribal Courts to Convict Offenders.
Justice for Murdered & Missing Indigenous Women: Allow Tribal Courts to Convict Offenders.
The Issue
As of 2025, murder is the third leading cause of death for Native American women that live in the United States. Indigenous women are 10x more likely to be murdered over every other ethnicity that resides in North America. Part of the reason for this effect on Native women, specifically women that live on reservations, is the case of Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe of 1978. This case disallowed/disallows Tribal courts to convict non-native offenders of a crime they convict on reservation land, even though they commit 71% of all crimes relating to murder on Tribal lands.
My passion behind this specific issue lies behind my personal experience being Ojibwe - my grandparents, against all odds, gave me and my family a life that would help prevent any one of us becoming another silent statistic, a statistic that fails to make its way to the media. My grandparents survived boarding school trauma that the Christian church was responsible for perpetrating - they were silent about their experiences their entire lives, much like a lot of Native survivors are. As a descendant of my ancestors, I have the duty to use my voice so that the world can hear me, loud and clear - especially when my ancestors voices, belief systems, cultural values, languages’, etc., was taken away from them with the goal to silence the generations to come.
My aim in creating this petition is to notify members of congress, asking them to propose a bill that would overturn Oliphant v. Suquamish, ultimately allowing Tribal courts to try non-native offenders of a crime they commit on reservation land.
Along with giving Tribal courts the sovereignty to convict offenders, we are also striving to give Native American Tribes more criminal justice resources in efforts to reduce the amount of murders that occur. By doing these steps, we will provide justice to the families that have been effected by the MMIW crisis - protecting our young women and girls.
Every year, around 5,000 young Native women and girls will either be murdered or will go missing within their communities. That is why immediate action is necessary to move forward with solving this epidemic.
Thank you for your attention and support - we appreciate you.
1,139
The Issue
As of 2025, murder is the third leading cause of death for Native American women that live in the United States. Indigenous women are 10x more likely to be murdered over every other ethnicity that resides in North America. Part of the reason for this effect on Native women, specifically women that live on reservations, is the case of Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe of 1978. This case disallowed/disallows Tribal courts to convict non-native offenders of a crime they convict on reservation land, even though they commit 71% of all crimes relating to murder on Tribal lands.
My passion behind this specific issue lies behind my personal experience being Ojibwe - my grandparents, against all odds, gave me and my family a life that would help prevent any one of us becoming another silent statistic, a statistic that fails to make its way to the media. My grandparents survived boarding school trauma that the Christian church was responsible for perpetrating - they were silent about their experiences their entire lives, much like a lot of Native survivors are. As a descendant of my ancestors, I have the duty to use my voice so that the world can hear me, loud and clear - especially when my ancestors voices, belief systems, cultural values, languages’, etc., was taken away from them with the goal to silence the generations to come.
My aim in creating this petition is to notify members of congress, asking them to propose a bill that would overturn Oliphant v. Suquamish, ultimately allowing Tribal courts to try non-native offenders of a crime they commit on reservation land.
Along with giving Tribal courts the sovereignty to convict offenders, we are also striving to give Native American Tribes more criminal justice resources in efforts to reduce the amount of murders that occur. By doing these steps, we will provide justice to the families that have been effected by the MMIW crisis - protecting our young women and girls.
Every year, around 5,000 young Native women and girls will either be murdered or will go missing within their communities. That is why immediate action is necessary to move forward with solving this epidemic.
Thank you for your attention and support - we appreciate you.
1,139
The Decision Makers
Supporter Voices
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on January 13, 2023