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Regalia made by an Ojibwe elder, with the help of her daughters and dozens of community members, is educating Minnesota State Fair goers about violence experienced by Indigenous people across the state.
A jingle dress sewn by Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe elder Anita Lovelace was constructed with the names of Indigenous people who have gone missing or been murdered. The dress is on display as a part of this year’s Fine Arts exhibit.
State Fair attendees got their first look at the full-length black dress at a preview event held two days before the State Fair opened. The dress features the names of the missing and murdered relatives inside red handprints.
Located just to the left in the Fine Arts Center, the dress is one of more than 300 works in the exhibit this year.
Lovelace attended the preview surrounded by her daughters, her friends and members of her sewing group. She described the dress as a living remembrance, an act of cultural activism intended to raise awareness about the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous people throughout the state and region.
“It’s got a life of its own,” said Lovelace. “Before I brought it over here, I brought it to the sewing class, and I let them put their hugs on it.”
In all, the names of 51 people appear on the dress, including three of Lovelace’s own family members.
Lovelace says it's painful but necessary work meant to acknowledge the pain and sense of loss felt by those grieving the absence of their loved ones.
"There could have easily been many more names,” said Lovelace.
Data collected over the past several years by the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension shows a consistent pattern of Indigenous people overrepresented among the state’s missing persons cases.
The jingle dress was selected from more than 2,800 pieces submitted to the juried competition.
‘I have to make this dress’
Displayed prominently on the front of the dress, just below the neckline, are the names of two young people — Neveah Kingbird and Jeremy Jourdain — both of whom went missing from the Bemidji area within the past several years. Kingbird, who has been missing for four years, turns 19 years old at the end of August.
Kingbird’s aunt, Maureen Headbird, came to the preview to celebrate and support Lovelace.
“We have so many missing women especially, and nobody even bothers to look for them,” Headbird said. “It’s hard.”
In addition to niece Neveah, the name of another cousin appears on the dress. Headbird contributed the outline of her hand to the artwork on the fabric.
“I feel like it's going to be a healing moment for people, just to have that emotion and be able to maybe heal themselves,” Headbird said.
Lovelace said it was earlier this year, while sitting at her sewing machine, when a thought kept tugging at her.
“Something had been telling me ... I have to make a dress. I have to make this dress,” Lovelace said.
She said her daughter Alita Todd was sitting nearby on the couch at the time watching TV when she shared her thoughts.
Her daughter, she said, told her, “Mom, it’s got to have red handprints on it.”
Lovelace said her daughter introduced her to acrylics, the paint they used to write the names of the missing and murdered inside the red handprints — one of the symbols used to bring visibility to the issue.
The jingle dress is a century-old dance tradition, one with roots in Minnesota. Rows of silver tin cones hang from the dress on tabs that allow the cones to move. When worn by dancers, the tin cones add a layer of sound. It’s a sound respected by many as a source of healing, Lovelace explained.
Lovelace said before they cut any fabric, she and her daughter crisscrossed the state to gather ideas. They visited with elders in Minneapolis and drove to parts of northern Minnesota to ask people to share their thoughts on the dress. Family members with missing loved ones contributed their handprints to the dress.
Todd attended the preview event and said the dress’s presence at the State Fair will help educate the larger public.
“I guess I feel it's a way to prove that this issue isn't going away, and we're not going to try and be quiet about it,” said Todd.
Community support and contributions
Lovelace informally thanked members of her family and community during the exhibition. She thanked her sister for helping her to purchase paint and markers used to write names on the dress. She also thanked members of her sewing group.
She mentioned her cousin, who came by to visit and contributed his handprint to the dress.
“He was so moved by it. He put his hand on it, and he said, ‘I'm shaking.’ He didn't have anyone to write on it, but I wanted his hand on there,” said Lovelace.
Lovelace said her cousin was so moved by her work, he taped a few dollars to the door to help pay for gas.
“It’s not about the money, it's about community,” said Lovelace.
Fairgoer Katie Tuma attended the preview event to take in the more than 300 works of art. Tuma, who said she has purchased the state’s MMIR license plates for her vehicle, supports raising awareness of the issue. She said she was happy to see the dress accepted into this year’s exhibit.
“I think that it's striking, because the black and red is striking. And I think if you didn't know about missing and murdered Indigenous women, it would help you want to know more,” said Tuma.
Lovelace said she has been asked where the dress will go after the fair. She said she will bring the dress to a northern Minnesota powwow at the beginning of next summer.
“I have an elder picked out to wear it. A beautiful, traditional jingle dress dancer. I want it in the [powwow] arena to lock in the medicine, collect all the healing thoughts and maybe to help them all heal. They’re not forgotten.”
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