BILLINGS — On the final day of a tribal public health conference in Billings, a healing ceremony aimed at repairing damage left from countless missing, murdered indigenous people was held.
“There's such a disparity in the numbers of indigenous peoples who go missing or have gotten murdered, not just in Montana but across the nation,” said Mark Pollock, a Blackfeet tribal council member.
During the ceremony at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel downtown, the speaker talked about those who have been missing, how it hurts, and how people can heal from it. They also spoke of how to help prevent future missing and murdered indigenous people.
“All of the tribes are becoming very active and a lot of them now are starting to implement what’s called a tribal community response plan to help alleviate and do a better response to any person that goes missing on a reservation,” said Pollock.
Pollock said bringing awareness and teaching the young about the subject is one of the best ways to prevent future tribal people from going missing or finding harm.
Related: Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council discusses public health at Billings event
