Tribal Elder Inspires Action Against MMIP Crisis in Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) crisis remains a pressing issue in Alaska, as highlighted by Dr. Charlene Aqpik’s personal experiences with this tragedy. After learning about undocumented cases from a tribal elder, Aqpik reflected on her own family’s losses, including her cousin, who was murdered by serial killer Israel Keyes, and her mother, whose suspicious death went uninvestigated.

At the 2018 Alaska Federation of Natives Convention, Aqpik helped organize a rally to honor the missing and murdered, discovering the lack of official databases for these cases. Determined to take action, Aqpik began collecting names and stories from conference attendees, fostering a sense of community trust. By 2020, she and partner Kendra Koster founded the MMIWG2S Alaska Working Group, developing these names into a comprehensive database to inform the public and lawmakers.

Aqpik emphasized the importance of being believed, stating that many families feel dismissed when reporting cases. She noted that current data collection practices do not accurately reflect the extent of the crisis, as most documentation occurs in urban centers like Nome, which overlooks rural communities like Kotzebue. Recent reports indicate a majority of cases in Kotzebue are labeled as environmentally related, with few receiving proper attention.

In a significant legislative step, Governor Dunleavy signed Senate Bill 151 in September 2024, creating a nine-member body to address unsolved MMIP cases. Aqpik highlighted the community’s efforts in advocating for this initiative, emphasizing that further work is needed to support prevention and prosecution. “That first bill was just the start, and we have so much more work to do,” she affirmed.

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