Getting Real about Missing and Murdered Indigenious Women/Girls (MMIWG/MMIR)

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During this episode, we will be discussing violence against women,
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including sexual assault. Please listen with care.
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So they were going to conquer our body much like
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they are conquering the land. If you will, you know
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that whole discovery exploration notion, so Native women are indigenous
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in particularly silenced deliberately the voices of Native American women,
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Indigenous women to reinforce you know, the tropes, and what
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that is done forth has led to an exotification and
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a commodification of our bodies, you know, a dehumanizing of
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who we are as women. You know, many of the
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explorers back in the day, we're not just working for
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their monarchs, but they were in their minds working for
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God perpetuation of that of making it okay to brutalize
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other human groups. So it's not just a you know,
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coming in and being a savior. It's about really understand
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ending how that piece of history is indeed connected to
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what we see today because of the historical trauma and
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the atrocities. I was in prayer for a full year
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because I knew it was going to be like facing
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literal evil. It's evil, all of this abuse, trafficking, destroying families, murder,
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it's evil. I knew that if I was not getting
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myself centered and grounded with my God Creator, my ale,
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I knew I was going to struggle. And I still struggle,
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and that's okay, going back to prayer.
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Welcome to the Grit Podcast, Getting Real immersed in Truth,
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intersecting hard conversations with the Gospel. We seek and speak
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the truth about what's going on around us. I'm your
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host for Brina Rattle. As an Erode citizen of the
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Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Montana, Collett M. Yellow Robe, PhD,
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grew up on the Winnebago Reservation in Nebraska. She advocates
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for and implements concrete changes. Doctor yellow Robe does this
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often in collaborative projects such as co creator on research, teaching,
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and community projects. Her scholar activism is often devoted to,
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but not limited to, Native American education, epistemologies, anti racism, pedagogies,
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and the missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls' Global Movement.
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Doctor yellow Robe says her life's journey is to actively
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engage the long standing systemic structures and to advance and
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support diversity, inclusivity, and equity. She says it is a
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great honor to serve in various leadership roles and policy
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advising to honor our, past, present, and future Indigenous voices.
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Doctor yellow Robe, continuous imagining of possibilities and commitment to
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center cultural practices for Indigenous peoples is what keeps her going. However,
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her great honor and privilege is to serve as a
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proud mother to two amazing sons, Chase and Mason. Thank
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you so much for joining me today, Doctor yellow Robe.
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I really appreciate you taking the time to sit and
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have this conversation with me.
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Yes, of course, thank you or naish, it's a pleasure
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to be here, very much. Appreciate it. And you can
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call me Collect. I love my name, so please feel
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free to call me Collect.
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Okay, thank you so much. I appreciate that. So I
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wanted to talk to you for two reasons. But first,
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what's your story? Collect?
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Mm hm, yes, thank you for asking me what my
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story is? There's Let me start by saying this. I
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believe that we all as humans as you know, sons
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and daughters of Creator of God, or we say my
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Ao and Cheyenne, that we all are unique. We have
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our unique and that's our story. We all have a story,
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so I'm very happy to share mine. I would say
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in a playful way. I'm just a girl from the
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Res who decided to go for it. I just had
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the courage and I really bought into school, did well
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in school, and that was going to be my ticket
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off the Res because I wanted to go see more.
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Is the best way I usually tell it. I wanted
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to go and see the world, make a difference, devote
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my life to making change. I was always pretty activism oriented,
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even as a youngster. I remember having some interesting conversations.
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I grew up in a Dutch Reformed church in Winnebago,
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and I remember asking about at the time, they were
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a pretty big church in South Africa, asking about things
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like a Bard died in South Africa, or glassnost with Russia.
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You know, the Berlin Wall was coming down. So I
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was pretty pretty outspoken growing up. That's been my spirit,
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I would say, that's always been my spirit. And another
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part of my story is growing up by racial on
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the Winnebago Indian Reservation was a really wonderful experience. It
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was hard at times too, but I like it taught
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me how to be very diplomatic at a young age
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because I didn't have a lot of family who because
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I wasn't Winnebago, if that makes sense. My tribe is
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Northern Cheyenne, and I had to learn how to kind
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of see amongst two or three different tribes, which I
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think taught me how to be very well. I know
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it has. It's taught me to be very diplomatic and
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very open and respectful of things like that. And being
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by racial I was very sensitive that to that as
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a young age too, So I've always been very pro
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interracial couples in a racial love, inter racial or love
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is love, you know, I'm very very much a champion
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of that from a young age because the things I
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went through. So I'm more than just a professor Robrina.
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You know, I have all this you know, story in
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my background I'm very proud of and thanks for letting
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me share it. And I would say, in connection to
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what we're talking about today, i am a survivor. I'm
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a sexual abuse and assault survivor, and I'm very open
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about that, very candid, and I'm also okay with you know,
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everyone's on their own journey with that. That's okay too,
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and I think it's very important for me to share
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my story in order to destroy that culture of silence
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that is bred in with that kind of abuse. Are
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just the systematic, as we will talk about soon, systematic
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and institutional barriers and structures that were put there on purpose.
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So that's me and I'm a mother. How could I
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not talk about my beautiful sons, beautiful multiracial signs. Very
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proud of them.
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Yes, yeah, that is you do have a very interesting storm.
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When we met with coffee. I do like to if
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I can, when I have my guests, if I can
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meet in person with them, I do. Sometimes I will
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just have a preliminary zoom call with them, but if
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I can meet face to face, I tried to do so,
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and we met for coffee, and we really clicked right away.
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We had a lot of similarities and we were both
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in a lot of the same kind of work as
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far as healing work, and it's heavy work. And I
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too am a sexual assault sexual abuse survivor, which I
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have not really told much of my story, and I
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just came through a class that is helping me tell
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my story more. And as I have forgotten some or
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repressed some of my story for survival purposes, for those
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of you who don't know a lot of details of
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your life can be suppressed or forgotten because your body
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literally can't handle it. And so anyway, but now I'm
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coming into being able to tell those stories, and that
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brought me to want to talk about our topic today.
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And I know in some of your work of what
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you do. That's why I reached out to you. Thank
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to doctor Anitra Warrior, who I interviewed her about mental
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health and Native American community and the work that she's doing.
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So thank you doctor Nietschrach for getting us together.
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Yes, thank you, doctor me. Absolutely, she's a beautiful soul,
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golden salt.
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Yes she is. But I want to talk to you
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for two reasons. One is it's a well known fact
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that bipop missing women don't received as much attention or
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media publicity as our counterpart or as white women. And
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one instance is the Laurence Smithfield's case where a black
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woman who went on she met a man on bumbles,
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went on a date with him, she ended up dead,
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and that her death was not being investigated until six
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weeks after her death, and that was because the family
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and some celebrities raised a rucus about it and even
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the way the family was notified was very insensitive and dismissive.
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And you all can look up that there's plenty of
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articles on it now. Laurence Smithfield's case, it's very heart wrenching.
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And also during the Gabby Pertino was in an abusive
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relationship on her fiance. We believed that he had taken
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her life. And but that case we became internationally known
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and she just disappeared in the state of Wyoming, and
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according to insider dot com between twenty eleven and twenty
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twenty one, there were seven hundred and seven hundred and
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ten Indigenous women missing in that same state and did
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not get the same type of publicity. And then also
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because May fifth is National Day of Awareness for Missing
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and Murdered Native Women and Girls. And that's why I
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wanted to have this conversation to talk about specifically Native
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American women that has been this has been happening to
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them when they call this a silent genocide, and so
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I wanted you to speak a little bit. Let's start
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with the history of what we'll refer to as mmiw
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I Also like the way you refer to not just
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missing and murdered Native women or indigenous women you call relatives,
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and I really appreciate that. So why don't you speak
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a little bit on the history when you believe this
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actually began?
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Okay, sure, of course absolutely, And you know, Rabrina, I
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appreciate you bringing up the our relatives in general, you know,
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which would be consistent with a lot of tribal beliefs
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and worldviews that you know, we our relatives are our relatives.
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That's going to span across tribes, nations, and quote unquote
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what became racis and ethnic groups in this country, the
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social construction of it. So I'm very adamant about saying that.
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So thank you for bringing the stories for the young
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women you've already mentioned, because that's important. One thing I
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want to start with to everybody who's listening to this
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is if it's happening to me and my people, it's
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happening to you, and we have to remember that and
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stick together with that. However, the grim reality is with
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Native American or Indigenous women of what we call Turtle
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Island or North America, we are the high group. We
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are indeed targeted and have the highest rates of abuse
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and violence and of course missing and murdered cases when
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you look at our group purportant proportion to how many
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we are in the population, the numbers are staggering. If
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you look at it like that. This may come off
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a little flippant. I don't mean it too to everybody.
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When they asked me this question of when did MMIW begin,
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and it was the day Columbus set foot, the day
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they landed. That's when Indigenous women were being targeted, absolutely
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from day one, back in those times, the way Columbus
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looked at it. And there's a lot of really amazing
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phenomenal MMIW activists and scholars who talk about this a lot,
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Sarah Dear for example, Mary Catherine Nagel, somebody come to mind.
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They looked at us as a how do I want
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to say this, as wild and to be tamed. So
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they were going to conquer our body, much like they
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were conquering the land. If you will, you know the
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whole discovery exploration notion. So Native women or indigenous you
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know that obviously the Caribbean tribes, Caribbean people's they were
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being put at what became a Caribbean I should say,
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they became put into that they were to be conquered.
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Although many of our traditional societies were egalitarian or had
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more equity, gender equity, of course orientation as well. So
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that's when it started in this country. The movement we
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were we were following in the step foots of our
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courageous relatives to the north in Canada. So MMIW was
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born out of Canada, if you will. That's who who
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started this really concerted global advocacy because it's a transnational
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global movement now MMIW so we can thank them for that.
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How did they what were the steps that they took
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to bring awareness for the voices or the victims that
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these relatives are so are It.
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Took a website if people are interested in that, because
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you know, I won't be able to do them justice
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of course would be the missing and murdered that they
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had a national inquiry. So the one website you could
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go look into or do a keyword searches National Inquiry
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into MMIWG in Canada and that'll bring up a lot
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of the history there. It took years and years of
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advocacy and fighting against the injustice and how again, same
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cases were not being investigated. It took Actually, one thing
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that I like to point out to people is their
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artists were very instrumental as well. So it was a
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grassroots activists or mothers, grandmothers, daughters, aunts, women, relatives, and
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then their artists did a significant job too and promoting
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the movement and getting awareness and shedding light on what
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was really going on.
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And when you and I were talking, you were saying
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that because I looked at a map and they were
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talking about the states that have the highest NAP Yeah,
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missing Indigenous women and girls.
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Yes, yes, so in the United States. Some more the
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history there, that's a great segue. We celebrate, we recognize
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May fifth, as I'm going to my notes, so I
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can give you pretty significant numbers here. So May fifth
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has been set aside as national MMIWDA MMIWG Day and
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May fifth, nineteen ninety two. They picked that date because
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that's the birthdate of miss miss Harris. She was born
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actually in my reservations up in Montana and Muddy Cluster
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threat by my district in Busby, and she was tragically
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murdered there. She passed away in that area, and that's
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why we came up with that date. You've probably heard
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of other legislation that's been connected to m mind activism,
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like VAWA that was a big reauthorization that just happened
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thanks to Deb Holland Cheris David's of Porus, Ruth Buffalo's
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advocacy in North Dakota, and then in our state of Nebraska,
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we passed MMIW legislation with LB one four a couple
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of years ago. So when it comes to time, this
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is a more recent modern phenomenon of legislation being done.
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And when I mean recent modern, I mean the last
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decade for five years in some cases. So not all
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states have this type of legislation yet.
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Yes, And statistically it says that Indigenous women and girls
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are murdered ten times higher than all other ethnicities, and
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that murder is the third leading cause of death for
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Indigenous women. And so they have to do they had
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to do something because that is it's just staggering numbers
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when you look at it. And I was looking at
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the one for the states, because I think I said
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that because we're in Nebraska at least are we number seven?
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Yeah, I think you're referring to the really remarkable work
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that was done with the national report from Urban Indian Health.
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I think is what our Urbanian Health with Urban Indian
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Health Institute. I think you're referring to that, and I
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will pull that data up for you real quick. And Nebraska,
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this report is actually what got the attention of some
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of our not just the world but also our local
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policy members in the state of Nebraska. Yes, so, Omaha,
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Nebraska is actually number seven of top ten cities in
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the United States.
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And yeah, it's like New Mexico is first. I think
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I'll pull up the same website I have the National
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Indian Council. Is that the one you have the ncoas
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oh NCAI.
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Yes, that's another reason of for excellent report. Yes, yes, ma'am.
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Yeah, yeah, so yeah. So there's the top ten states.
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I see New Mexico, Washington, Arizona, Alaska, Montana, California, Nebraska, Utah, Minnesota,
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and Oklahoma.
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We're still in the top, yes, in the city and
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state and that and the significant significant thing about that
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too is it's two separate sources as well.
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Yes, and I will put all the sources that we
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are discussing today in a ways to learn and understand more.
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I'll put in the show notes.
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Yes, of course, yes, absolutely so. And another significant work
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that's being done is with Sovereign Bodies Institute. They're doing
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significant work as well with that, and they have excellent sources.
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As if someone because I put in the show notes
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just in case someone wants some to do more investigation
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on their own and just a little bit exactly what
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we're talking about. They can look it up and see
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it for themselves. Yes, so we were talking about you
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mentioned how all this legislation is new, so within the
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past decade or so. Okay, so what there still are
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We know there were some systemic barriers, and there still
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are systemic barriers. And I don't think I'm just people
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don't understand systems. What happens when systems are in place
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to keep truth from coming to the surface. You know,
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a lot of people look at things as, oh, this
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is this is an individual basis. But as you stated before,
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what happens to you happens to us. It's all interconnected.
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And what a lot of people don't understand is that
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it's a it's on a continuum, so it can go
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past to the next generation and the next generation, it
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can be passed to the next person, the next ethnicity,
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you know, and so anything that's happening to someone else
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it should still concern us. So what are the systemic
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barriers which contribute to the lack of awareness and that
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make it difficult to find the lost relatives.
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Okay, so you've already addressed one, Miss Robrina, and that
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would be there is still a lot of systemic racism
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and oppression in journalism and reporting that's being done and
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we are which is subject to you know, colorism and
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basically valuing not valuing brown and black lives, if that
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makes sense, you know, And that's been consistent since I
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was a child. That is an ongoing We're going into
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decades now of certain groups are privileged or getting the
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awareness out there. So that's the number one problem. Number
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two would be the ways that the laws and people's
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lack of understanding for tribal sovereignty. What that means tribes
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like I'm an en World citizen of my tribal nation,
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so we have a sovereign political, legal status. We aren't
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just a racial, ethnic cultural group. We actually have a
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legal and political identity in this country. So that requires
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that state, local, federal governments, and tribal governments must all
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talk to one another. And for example, in this state
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that I'm residing in, Nebraska, they had to pass legislation
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in order to make an easier process so that this
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data can be collected and collected accurately and communicated across lines.
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And third, there's also been a tendency to erase Native
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American women. First of all, we're racing Native Americans in general,
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indigenous people, but we have particularly silentced, deliberately the voices
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of Native American women, indigenous women to reinforce you know,
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the tropes. I'm sure you've seen these over the years
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of romantic trope, or you look at the way Sacacaea
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or Poconas or whatever we're supposed to embody. This mythical,
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fictionalized diversion of what a Native woman is and what
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that has done forth has led to an exotification and
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a commodification of our bodies, you know, a dehumanizing of
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who we are as women. You know, if you don't
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value us as a human as we were almost considered
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inanimate objects. We're objectified in society. And then more modern
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when we started moving on to reservations, of course, which
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was systematic and deliberate. That creates a lot of isolation.
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So in many areas it's very rural, you know, where
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you may have to use satellite phones, for example, in
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certain areas, and it's not like you know, it's it's
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not like TV. So people have a very Hollywood commodification
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version of what life is like. And if you're talking
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about real area, that's not the same lifestyle. It's not
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just a call nine to one one and someone's going
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to react, you know, where some states have maybe one
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or two federal investigators working on these cases.
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Maybe Yeah, you know you said the dehumanization. One thing
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I talk about a lot on this podcast is in
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Mango Day, how we are all made in the image
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of God. And when you view people that way, it
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changes how you see them. You actually do see them
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instead of as whatever this ethnicosophy is, or I disagree
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with this person's politics, or I don't believe in what
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this person believes in. But if you truly see a
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person made in the image of God, which God has
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called us to do, that completely changes how you interact
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with a person, with a people group, you know, it
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becomes very much so more of like you said, relative,
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this is my family. If God made me, God made them,
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you know, and it just it's just a different way
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of seeing something you just mentioned. Though I wanted to
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go back to when you talked about I want to
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go back, how for people who to understand when you
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talked about how the laws have to be how they
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have to be changed, and how you are sovereign nation
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because you are a citizen of your particular tribe. So
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when you are bringing up the issue and you're saying, hey,
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this is a serious problem and we need something or
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we need someone to pay attention to this. So how
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does it work within your nation to get to a
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congressman or a senator to actually say, hey, yeah, you
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know what, I think we do need some legislation on this.
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Okay, So I can speak to a couple of direct
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experiences and then what I've been able to an honor
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to learn from my from my sisters, my fellow mostly
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women in the cause. It's it's a bonafide grassroots activism.
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It is the it is the heart of the nation.
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There's the fame a saying in my tribe, a nation
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is not conquered until the hearts of the women are
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on the ground. It is the mother's, grandmothers, auntie's or
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you know, true spirit people who identify as a woman,
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it is they are doing the work. They are doing
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the work they were the ones consistently, not just recently,
395
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decades ago, talking to representatives, talking to law enforcement. This
396
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has been going on a long time. So in some
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ways we stand on the shoulders of our ancestors and
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their prayers. To even see some of this legislation being
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ratified today. You know that could have been a prayer
400
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being said one hundred years ago. You know, this is
401
00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:37.039
we always have to keep in mind that this is
402
00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:41.400
way bigger than us. You know, there's no room for
403
00:26:41.519 --> 00:26:45.039
ego in the movement. I guess so with MMIW, if
404
00:26:45.079 --> 00:26:47.079
I don't say now, I may forget, kind of like
405
00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:50.079
I said with Native education, this is everyone's problem. It's
406
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all hands on deck. It is not. It can't just
407
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be the group being harmed doing the advocacy. It's a
408
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human rights issue. We have to blow people's eyes wide
409
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open to that.
410
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You know, I agree.
411
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Yes, like you were saying, it's happening to African American again,
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outrageously high numbers, African American women being targeted, girls, cold
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cases not being investigated, and now we're actually seeing more
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boys of color, Native American boys, African American boys being
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targeted as well for trafficking and other unfortunately connected issues.
416
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So just this one cause. So I want to stress
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this is interrelated. We are interconnected.
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So I do like to focus on the church because
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sometimes I don't think the church wants to acknowledge or
420
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see certain things that are happening, Like there's certain what
421
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is the war, certain causes that they kind of stick to.
422
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But I am interested in I'm not saying all churches,
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but there are some, yes, yes, but for churches who
424
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are who are there might be people who are saying,
425
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oh my goodness, I had no idea, And now that
426
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I'm aware, I would like for our church to be
427
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educated on this. And so what can the church as
428
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a whole, the body of Christ do to help support
429
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and bringing awareness to the issue of missing and murdered
430
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women and girls, relatives, sisters, or what is what can
431
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they do to assist in preventing and and help finding
432
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some of our stolen sisters?
433
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Okay, so I guess I would have to back it up.
434
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This can be, This isn't impossible. And yes, I'm aware
435
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that some churches are religious organizations. You know, there's not
436
00:28:58.920 --> 00:29:03.880
a tendency to run into to activism. However, I grew
437
00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:10.119
up with church mentor spiritual advisors who were very more
438
00:29:10.200 --> 00:29:13.920
activists oriented. You know, if we look at certain causes
439
00:29:14.079 --> 00:29:17.960
like civil rights comes to mind for our voting, you
440
00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:22.119
know that that is most certainly under the purview of activism.
441
00:29:23.640 --> 00:29:28.000
So but when let's focus specifically on the Native recognitionists,
442
00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:30.559
it's probably going to require a lot of reckoning and
443
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reconciling of our histories. For example, I'm a scholar in
444
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Native American education, et cetera. The churches were complicit in
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the assimilation or at times determination of Native American cultures.
446
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We saw that in the boarding school era. So there
447
00:29:50.680 --> 00:29:55.200
has to be a recognizing of that painful history and
448
00:29:55.240 --> 00:30:01.079
then an accountability to it. So it's not just a
449
00:30:01.440 --> 00:30:04.160
you know, coming in and being a savior. It's about
450
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really understanding how that piece of history is indeed connected
451
00:30:08.799 --> 00:30:11.480
to what we see today because of the historical trauma
452
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and the atrocities that we're committed. You know, many of
453
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the explorers back in the day, we're not just working
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for their monarchs, but they were in their minds working
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for God if you will. You know, there was very
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much a perpetuation of that of making it okay to
457
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brutalize other human groups or obviously to oppress us. So
458
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that would be my first big suggestion is we have
459
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to start talking about those things. And if you don't
460
00:30:44.119 --> 00:30:47.359
want to use sermon, time find but we can find ways.
461
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And I know there's churches who are trying to do
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this that where we have to facilitate some of these
463
00:30:52.680 --> 00:30:57.160
conversations in different manners, different ways. You can host the film,
464
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you can do many things to get dialogue. Secondly, in
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order for healing to happen, we have to start talking
466
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about it, so we can pray about it with one another.
467
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If that makes sense, you know some of us, I
468
00:31:14.480 --> 00:31:19.079
will switch gears and go into survive remote. When I
469
00:31:19.279 --> 00:31:26.279
first came out about my abuse, I remember just coming
470
00:31:26.319 --> 00:31:29.960
out of one state of paralysis into another, like okay,
471
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well what do I do now? And it was indeed
472
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a prayer ceremony that got me through the majority of
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those first stages of healing. And so this is an
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opportunity for us to come together as different creeds faiths,
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if you will, and unite under prayer. And I believe
476
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Jesus himself to be very radical in his own work
477
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that he did.
478
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So it's not necessarily looking at this as just an
479
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activism type of thing to get involved in. But it
480
00:32:08.119 --> 00:32:14.359
is an actual humanity issue, is really what it is.
481
00:32:14.720 --> 00:32:16.400
And it sounds like what you're saying is that we
482
00:32:16.440 --> 00:32:18.119
need to which this has been a theme in the
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00:32:18.160 --> 00:32:26.079
past few years with the Church acknowledging our sins, repenting
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00:32:26.559 --> 00:32:33.920
from those sins, and reconciling to get to restoration. It
485
00:32:33.960 --> 00:32:37.720
seems like that's just the It's been the theme I've
486
00:32:37.720 --> 00:32:40.200
noticed for the past couple of years, and I'm not
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00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:43.000
sure why. As Christians, a lot of us are so
488
00:32:43.480 --> 00:32:47.039
reluctant to repent on these types of issues. We talk
489
00:32:47.039 --> 00:32:50.599
about repentance all the time, and it is through repentance
490
00:32:50.640 --> 00:32:53.720
that we also get to know get closer to the
491
00:32:53.720 --> 00:32:56.039
Lord and know his love, to be able to show
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00:32:56.079 --> 00:32:58.319
his love to others.
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00:32:58.519 --> 00:33:01.599
Two things to that. Again, I can use my own
494
00:33:01.640 --> 00:33:07.680
walk or my own mother who's she's a prayer warrior.
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00:33:07.759 --> 00:33:10.160
Some people just have that gift to them. They just
496
00:33:10.240 --> 00:33:14.000
I would presume you Dotube Robrina, by the beautiful prayer
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00:33:14.039 --> 00:33:16.200
you offered in the beginning, I would say a couple
498
00:33:16.279 --> 00:33:20.400
of things come to mind. One, it's an arrogance when
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00:33:20.440 --> 00:33:23.680
you are when you keep asking for forgiveness of the
500
00:33:23.720 --> 00:33:27.240
same sin over and it's an arrogance that you feel
501
00:33:27.279 --> 00:33:31.640
as though you cannot be absolved or cleansed, which becomes
502
00:33:31.680 --> 00:33:34.680
an irrational guilt or shame if you will, and you'll
503
00:33:34.720 --> 00:33:40.119
be trapped in that cycle instead of truly thinking if God,
504
00:33:40.400 --> 00:33:47.440
Creator Jesus can liberate you of that sin. So that's
505
00:33:47.519 --> 00:33:50.519
the first thing that comes to mind. It's a very humans.
506
00:33:50.559 --> 00:33:55.599
We're more similar than you believe sometimes right, And while
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00:33:56.160 --> 00:33:58.480
I will keep saying yes the American when we have
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00:33:58.559 --> 00:34:01.759
been actively targeting it and are actively targeted, I want
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00:34:01.759 --> 00:34:05.920
people to understand this is human behavior. We have these
510
00:34:05.960 --> 00:34:09.960
patterns with other groups, and it is about understanding we
511
00:34:10.199 --> 00:34:16.960
can change and letting go of the perceived power in
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00:34:17.039 --> 00:34:22.119
our institutions, churches, schools, wherever that may be. So I
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00:34:22.159 --> 00:34:25.519
guess my second piece of advice to that would be
514
00:34:25.559 --> 00:34:30.719
in the more older I get, the more I don't know,
515
00:34:30.880 --> 00:34:33.440
I believe Creator humbles me more and more every day.
516
00:34:36.719 --> 00:34:40.360
I remember the day with my own children when I
517
00:34:40.440 --> 00:34:45.440
had to completely allow God to take control, and it
518
00:34:45.519 --> 00:34:47.639
was the scariest thing I've ever done as a mother.
519
00:34:49.000 --> 00:34:52.119
So we have to be willing to forego whatever control
520
00:34:52.320 --> 00:34:57.280
we think we have and be and allow God to
521
00:34:57.519 --> 00:35:01.079
work amongst us or the spirit. Like we found out
522
00:35:01.119 --> 00:35:04.719
the other day when we first clicked. It's this is
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00:35:04.840 --> 00:35:09.320
much bigger than us. Yes, And I'm not saying that
524
00:35:09.400 --> 00:35:12.039
I'm still happy when I let God take conture. I'm
525
00:35:12.079 --> 00:35:16.440
not saying I haven't backslit or doubted myself or been
526
00:35:16.519 --> 00:35:19.480
scared or fearful as a mother. But it was the
527
00:35:19.519 --> 00:35:22.480
most humbling, courageous things, scariest thing I had to do
528
00:35:22.519 --> 00:35:25.320
as a mother. And yet I'm glad I did it
529
00:35:25.440 --> 00:35:29.519
because it taught me how so much more wisdom. I'm
530
00:35:29.519 --> 00:35:31.800
not sure if that made sense, Miss Robina, and I
531
00:35:31.840 --> 00:35:34.400
guess I'm relating that to the story. You asked me,
532
00:35:34.480 --> 00:35:38.599
what's my story? That's part of my story. You know.
533
00:35:39.280 --> 00:35:42.599
I constantly try to reiterate things or iterate things for
534
00:35:42.719 --> 00:35:49.639
people in my story because I know it's scary, this
535
00:35:50.119 --> 00:35:53.440
is hard work. We have to stay in prayer. Before
536
00:35:53.480 --> 00:35:58.159
I got if I can take the liberty, before I
537
00:35:58.400 --> 00:36:01.800
was sharing with Miss Robina, I met for coffee. Before
538
00:36:01.800 --> 00:36:05.480
I even stepped foot into the scholar activism or the
539
00:36:05.639 --> 00:36:09.719
community activism of MMW missing and murdered in just Women,
540
00:36:10.800 --> 00:36:17.000
I stayed in prayer for a year beforehand, I had heard,
541
00:36:17.079 --> 00:36:18.679
you know, I was at some of the pre planning
542
00:36:18.760 --> 00:36:20.920
for legislation in our state with you know, missing a
543
00:36:21.000 --> 00:36:25.960
murdered Native American women activism atacy, and I was in
544
00:36:26.039 --> 00:36:29.000
prayer for a full year because I knew it was
545
00:36:29.039 --> 00:36:31.760
going to be like facing literal evil in the faith.
546
00:36:32.239 --> 00:36:37.960
It's evil. All of this abuse, trafficking, destroying families, murder, abuse,
547
00:36:38.079 --> 00:36:42.000
it's evil. And I knew that if I was not
548
00:36:42.199 --> 00:36:45.760
getting myself centered and grounded with my God, with Creator,
549
00:36:46.199 --> 00:36:49.480
my ale, I knew I was going to struggle. And
550
00:36:49.519 --> 00:36:54.199
I still struggle, and that's okay, going back to prayer.
551
00:36:54.679 --> 00:36:59.239
So those would be the three things. I suggest more
552
00:36:59.360 --> 00:37:03.199
practical things too, you know, let's let me not be
553
00:37:03.360 --> 00:37:06.599
arrogant and assume people are not praying and doing the
554
00:37:06.639 --> 00:37:10.000
work or whatever I would say, especially if people are
555
00:37:10.119 --> 00:37:13.159
out trying to walk an allyship. It's really important that
556
00:37:13.239 --> 00:37:16.639
you look at your own stuff. This work can be triggering.
557
00:37:17.599 --> 00:37:21.079
So really doing your own self healing self care is
558
00:37:21.159 --> 00:37:24.519
really it's it'll it'll get you a long way. This
559
00:37:24.599 --> 00:37:27.480
is not work for the lighthearted. You really have to
560
00:37:27.519 --> 00:37:30.400
take care of yourself in it, if that makes sense.
561
00:37:32.039 --> 00:37:35.320
And then Secondly, I've already suggested this, but I think
562
00:37:35.400 --> 00:37:40.440
churches should start hosting community conversations. Actually, one of one
563
00:37:40.480 --> 00:37:44.039
of my suggestions is podcasts like our wonderful hostess is
564
00:37:44.079 --> 00:37:48.000
doing for us. Thank you for setting that example, and
565
00:37:48.079 --> 00:37:50.440
I mean that with all due respect and from my heart,
566
00:37:51.960 --> 00:37:55.679
and then continuing to do work with like shelters or
567
00:37:55.719 --> 00:38:00.280
domestic violence. This is these are connected issues going on,
568
00:38:00.599 --> 00:38:07.440
co occurring disorders DV, supporting our families. If people are
569
00:38:07.480 --> 00:38:11.880
more savvy, they most certainly can write to their federal.
570
00:38:11.960 --> 00:38:14.440
I'm going to put a list of ways that you
571
00:38:14.519 --> 00:38:18.079
can educate yourself more on this topic, and then also
572
00:38:18.239 --> 00:38:22.840
ways that you can bring awareness awareness to this topic.
573
00:38:22.920 --> 00:38:26.239
And there are also ways that you can support, whether
574
00:38:26.280 --> 00:38:29.599
it's a donation or any of the other ways that
575
00:38:29.719 --> 00:38:32.599
a doctor yellow Robe are listed. So she and I
576
00:38:32.639 --> 00:38:35.440
will get together a list and we will definitely put
577
00:38:35.440 --> 00:38:39.480
them in the show notes. Well, I do want to
578
00:38:39.519 --> 00:38:42.239
thank you so much for sitting with me in conversation,
579
00:38:42.360 --> 00:38:46.440
Doctor Yellowrobe. I do hope that this was educational for
580
00:38:46.519 --> 00:38:49.239
some of those of you who are already aware. I
581
00:38:49.280 --> 00:38:52.519
hope this was just a reinforcement of what you know
582
00:38:52.679 --> 00:38:56.440
and that you heard some things that were encouraging you
583
00:38:57.039 --> 00:39:01.239
in your work and in your walk. And yeah, I
584
00:39:01.320 --> 00:39:04.679
just want to thank you again for all the work
585
00:39:04.719 --> 00:39:05.119
that you do.
586
00:39:05.679 --> 00:39:09.239
Oh, thank you, Nai. That's chient for thank you. Yes,
587
00:39:09.320 --> 00:39:12.760
of course, absolutely, this was an honor and you know,
588
00:39:12.840 --> 00:39:16.000
I think we should really thank you miss Robrena future
589
00:39:16.159 --> 00:39:18.840
doctor Robrina. One day, I'll put that into the universe
590
00:39:18.880 --> 00:39:22.800
for you speak that. I really think it's important that
591
00:39:22.880 --> 00:39:27.760
you're doing this work and you're bringing together intercultural women
592
00:39:28.000 --> 00:39:31.000
across different groups, you know, I think that's critical as
593
00:39:31.039 --> 00:39:33.400
well to show light and cast light.
594
00:39:34.320 --> 00:39:37.880
Remember May fifth is the National Day of Awareness for
595
00:39:38.079 --> 00:39:42.639
Missing and Murdered the Native Women and Girls. And like
596
00:39:42.679 --> 00:39:44.679
I said, we'll have some links in the show notes
597
00:39:45.239 --> 00:39:47.679
for you to get more education and awareness about it
598
00:39:48.360 --> 00:39:52.719
and hopefully, prayerfully you can support an organization doing this work.
599
00:39:52.920 --> 00:39:54.880
Thanks again, Colette, I appreciate you.
600
00:39:55.360 --> 00:39:58.599
Of course you're welcome. Absolutely, thank you everyone.
601
00:40:01.119 --> 00:40:04.079
If you enjoyed this episode or if you enjoy the podcast,
602
00:40:04.159 --> 00:40:07.079
don't forget to give grit. Getting Real immersed in Truth
603
00:40:07.119 --> 00:40:12.039
a five star rating. Follow and share. Getting Real immersed
604
00:40:12.079 --> 00:40:15.440
in Truth is written, produced and edited by me Robrina Rettel.
605
00:40:15.920 --> 00:40:21.480
Original music by composer Michael Coffee of Handcrafted Studios. Connect
606
00:40:21.480 --> 00:40:24.400
with me on Instagram at Robrina Retel and check out
607
00:40:24.440 --> 00:40:29.639
my website robrinaretel dot com. I also have another podcast
608
00:40:29.760 --> 00:40:33.679
on life Audio, Mama Take Heart Understanding Your gen Z Girl.
609
00:40:34.000 --> 00:40:37.239
It's designed to help Mama be the compassionate, gospel centered
610
00:40:37.519 --> 00:40:42.480
and influential voice in her girl's life. Okay, friends, until
611
00:40:42.519 --> 00:40:46.119
next time, keep your head up when getting real while
612
00:40:46.159 --> 00:41:03.559
immersed in truth, to be, to be able to get
613
00:41:05.239 --> 00:41:07.960
To get it to