Snowbird Fund helps missing Indigenous people crisis

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (2) – 2/16/21

Native Americans make up 6.7 percent of Montana’s population but account for 26 percent of missing persons cases in the state. Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, particularly women, is a crisis and the Snowbird Fund, founded by businesswoman and politician Whitney Williams, aims to help families with a missing loved one as they continue search efforts. The Snowbird Fund provides direct payments to be used for travel and meal expenses as they search across the state using phone bills, metal detectors and drones, and is launching an awareness campaign and hosting community vigils. The fund is named for “Issstotsistakii,” the Blackfeet name for Snowbird, a nickname Williams’ instructor and member of the Blackfeet Nation gave her.