Photo exhibit shares loss and resilience of those affected by MMIP
Activist and photographer shares photos taken across Oregon
An MMIP activist has taken to the lens to raise awareness on the issue.
The photography exhibit “Ampkwa: munk lush nsayka shawash tilixam” opened Wednesday at the Gretchen Schuette Art Gallery at Chemeteka Community College in Salem, Oregon. It will run through Feb. 6..
Photographer Amanda Freeman, founder of Ampkwa Advocacy, is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and is also of Umpqua, Chinook and Umatilla descent. She says the exhibit’s name translates to “healing our Indigenous relatives” and consists of three dozen photos she’s taken. Each person in the photos lost a friend or relative to the MMIP crisis or has suffered addiction or domestic violence.
Part of the exhibit also features a red dress with an extension that spans several walls, and shares the legend of Deer Woman. The mythical being protects women and children, and punishes predatory or abusive men.
Freeman says she hopes visitors come and learn of the MMIP issue, and spread the word.
“I would like them to remember that we’re not disposable,” said Freeman. “Any awareness is good awareness.”
There will be a reception and artist’s talk on Jan. 28 at noon. Freeman said she’s invited relatives of Wesley Dixon Jones — a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation who’s been missing since early October — to talk about the ongoing search for him during the event.
