The Northern Arapaho Business Council (NABC) recently created two new tribal liaison positions to help address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples issues, also known as MMIP.
According to a 2024 report from the state’s MMIP task force, Indigenous people go missing at disproportionately higher rates than white residents in Wyoming.
Dara Jefferson and Christie Wildcat will serve as the newly appointed liaisons. They’ll serve in the position for two years and will act as the face of communication for the NABC when it comes to working with local, state and federal partners and agencies.
In the press release from the NABC, Jefferson shared that she got involved in the MMIP movement because the family of Rita Papakee, a missing Meskwaki woman, reached out to her for help.
“I have helped advocate and organize for families of MMIP in Iowa for eight years prior to returning home to Wind River,” she said. “It is an honor to be recognized for the work I have done and entrusted with such an important responsibility for our Tribe.”
Christie Wildcat is an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe and is also Navajo, Yucci, Pawnee and Cherokee. She grew up on the Wind River Reservation and has been raising awareness about domestic violence since elementary school, when she advocated for the renewal of the federal Violence Against Women Act in the early 2010s.
“ I remember making posters and I got my little cousins that were like 6, 7, like 10 year olds, so it’s all of us kids,” she said. “And we were standing at City Park in Riverton, Wyoming, advocating for this bill to get passed.”
Wildcat’s mother and grandmother were board members for the women’s domestic violence shelter in Fremont County, which she said helped her understand the intersection between domestic violence and the MMIP epidemic from a young age.
Wildcat went on to get both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Wyoming, where she organized marches and events on campus around the issue.
“ I remember making a presentation about Red Dress Day and why it’s important. It was a Native studies class,” Wildcat said. “My professor absolutely loved it and said that I just need to go do more advocacy because it will go in the right direction.”
As an undergrad, Wildcat drafted a proclamation for the state to recognize May 5th as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Day. Governor Gordon signed it in 2019 and then went on to create the state’s MMIP task force.
Wildcat learned that she was selected for the NABC’s new MMIP tribal liaison position through a phone call from her mom while she was at a Denver Nuggets basketball game.
“ She told me there will be two of us with term limits, but we’re the first ones. And I’m just like, all of time slows down, and I’m thinking about how exciting this is, it’s such an honor and I’m really excited,” she said. “I hope I just do well.”
When it comes to the new position, Wildcat said she’s excited to build a strong foundation that future liaisons can build on. She’s also interested in creating a coalition of Western states and regional tribes to work on the issue more collaboratively.
“ Our people are going missing, our people are being murdered,” she said. “We can lean on each other for support, especially for example if someone is missing from Wyoming, but they were seen up in Montana.”
Wildcat said she’s most looking forward to being on the ground, getting community members connected to resources and inspiring others to be advocates.
“ I’m just excited to show people ‘Hey, we’re here to help. Let us help you.’ Or if you need or know someone in need, point us to them,” she said.
