Jingle dress dancers hold healing ceremonies at south Minneapolis memorials
Jingle dress dancers gathered Sunday to hold healing ceremonies at memorial sites for Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti in south Minneapolis, where the two were shot and killed while observing federal immigration operations. According to MPR News, hundreds of people attended the ceremonies on Feb. 1, many wearing ribbon skirts and regalia.
Star Downwind, a lead organizer, told MPR the gatherings followed a tradition rooted in community healing: “The dress came to our people when there was a time of sickness. And so that's what we do. We show up when there's people suffering.” A prayer opened the ceremony before dancers moved clockwise around the drum as the crowd looked on.
Several community members helped organize the event, including Minnesota Indigenous Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition CEO Nicole Matthews. Matthews said prayer and gathering together offered strength as federal immigration operations continue.
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