Red Jingle Dress Memorial Honoring MMIP Unveiled at Menominee Logging Museum Feb. 14

A Red Jingle Dress living memorial honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) will be unveiled Saturday, Feb. 14, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Menominee Logging Museum on the Menominee Tribal Historic Preservation grounds off Highway VV West in Keshena. The public unveiling brings attention to a regional crisis and establishes a visible site for remembrance on tribal land.

The memorial uses the Red Jingle Dress motif to recognize those affected by MMIP and to offer a focal point for community grief and solidarity. Jingle dresses are a long-standing form of dress and dance among many Indigenous nations that often carry themes of healing and prayer; in this setting the red color specifically symbolizes remembrance for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit and transgender relatives.

Placement at the Menominee Logging Museum situates the memorial within a locally significant cultural space. The museum and the Menominee Tribal Historic Preservation grounds draw residents and visitors to Keshena, and the addition of the living memorial creates a new site for community gatherings, ceremonies, and education about the MMIP crisis. The event runs two hours on Saturday afternoon, providing an accessible window for family members, tribal citizens, and county residents to participate.

For Menominee County, the memorial is both a cultural statement and a civic signal. It formalizes local recognition of the disproportionate rates of violence and disappearance experienced by Indigenous people across the region, and it anchors awareness work on tribal land rather than in off-reservation venues. By creating a dedicated public display at a local museum, organizers aim to sustain attention beyond a single day and to make remembrance visible to the steady stream of visitors who use Highway VV West to reach Keshena.

The unveiling also has practical implications for local institutions. The Menominee Logging Museum will host the site on its grounds, which may increase foot traffic during museum hours and at future ceremonies. Local service providers, faith groups, and tribal offices that work with families affected by MMIP may use the memorial as a meeting point for support or advocacy activities.

The Feb. 14 event marks a moment of collective recognition for Menominee County and surrounding communities. As the living memorial is revealed on tribal historic preservation grounds, it offers residents a place to remember lost relatives, to support families still seeking answers, and to keep the conversation about MMIP visible in daily community life.