The founder of a Missing and Murdered Indigenous People organization is sharing the faces of those affected by the crisis, with a new exhibition in Salem.
Amanda Freeman is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, with Umpqua, Chinook and Umatilla heritage. She’s also the founder of the nonprofit group, Ampkwa Advocacy, which launched in December 2024 to help promote awareness and support for MMIP victims and their communities.
“Almost every Indigenous person I know has experienced some type of violence in their lifetime,” she said, walking past photos of people with red handprints painted over their mouths. “And all that leads to MMIP. So like addiction, domestic violence, all of it. It all leads somewhere.”
Freeman now has an exhibit at the Gretchen Schuette Art Gallery at Chemeketa Community College. She’s gathered and displayed nearly three dozen photos of Native people who’ve lost a relative or have suffered domestic violence or addiction. It’s titled, “Ampkwa: munk lush nsayka shawash tilixam.” It means “Healing our Indigenous relatives.”
Red handprints and a long red trailing dress adorn the walls and wrap around each portrait, with signs detailing stories and the significance of the color red.
“Red is used to call attention to those who have been made invisible,” said Freeman, reading from one of the displays. “In the MMIP movement, red dresses, red ribbons, red beadwork and red clothing are not symbolic decorations. They stand in for real people whose absence is still felt by families and communities.”
One sign explains the mythical Deer Woman, a spirit who often takes the form of a Native woman but often with hooves or antlers, who punishes men who are predatory or abusive towards women.
“People might not notice the hooves until it’s too late,” said Freeman, noting that Deer Woman isn’t always an omen. “In some tellings, she shows up to protect women and children, or to remind people of their responsibilities.”
On another wall, flyers and photos of MMIP cases show the distress and loss the Native community in Oregon has endured. It also shows them searching for missing relatives in areas such as Portland or tribal reservations.
Explanations for disappearances range from runaways to racially-motivated murders to human trafficking. Many MMIP advocates say law enforcement needs to take each case seriously, regardless of circumstances or what life someone led.
Freeman told KLCC that for all the information and imagery shared in her exhibition, she wants visitors to leave with one impression.
“I would like them to remember that we’re not disposable,” she said. “I would like them to leave with the mindset of, ‘Let me share this information because I had no idea.’ Because any awareness is good awareness.”
A reception and artist’s talk will be held Jan. 28 at noon at the gallery.
Freeman said she’s invited relatives of missing elder Wesley Dixon Jones, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation who went missing in early October. The tribe and Umatilla Police Department recently ceased search operations for him.
“We opened a fundraising campaign so we can raise money for the family to continue searching,” said Freeman. “And also hopefully for a type of reward for anyone that has information on his whereabouts.”
The exhibit also features several buffalo and elk hides that Freeman defleshed and tanned, a Native tradition she says is also therapeutic.
One other section allows visitors to write on small red paper hands that can be applied to a wall. The messages are for missing or murdered friends and relatives, or anything that a visitor would like to express after seeing the exhibit.
“Anybody that comes here will be able to see for themselves, and how powerful it is,” said Freeman, expressing gratitude for the support and help she had in taking the photos and curating the display.
The exhibit runs through Feb. 6 at the Gretchen Schuette Art Gallery in Building 3 at the Salem campus of Chemeketa Community College.
Copyright 2026, KLCC.
