Photo Gallery: Ne-Dah-Ness Rose Greene
My life’s work is to advocate for communities with photography and raise awareness around important issues, such as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR).
The images that follow were created with people from all four directions of Minnesota who came together in 2019 and 2020 as part of an MMIR Minnesota 4 Directions Awareness Gathering to share their stories and stand in solidarity, in prayer, and for strength.
Each of my subjects has a story. They include social workers, advocates, survivors, and their families. I shared the images with women-focused services, including MMIW 218, Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition, National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, and the MMIW Task Force, which use the images for informational activities in the community. Hennepin County Library is building a QR code that will feature one of my photographs and a link to Hennepin County Library’s MMIW online resource guide.
This project is intended to give visibility to those who remain silenced, give power to survivors to come forward, and advance the movement to end injustices. My work is rooted in community engagement and healing through art. I intend to put communities in control of their stories and in positions to feel safe so we can discuss our traumas and find ways to heal together.
We all have stories. We all have traumas. It is a painful journey to help women through this. I always sage after I take these images because the pain is unbearable. I think about my cousins who were murdered and how that grief trickles into other incidents in our family. Through art, we heal, seek hope, and stand in solidarity.
There is hope for our future generations with women in government, like North Dakota State Representative Ruth Anna Buffalo (Three Affiliated Tribes), who introduced and paved a way for legislation to address missing and murdered people in her state. 
Arnold J Dahl-Wooley at Leech Lake Nation: “I am a Leech Lake Band member, and I own a business on the Leech Lake Reservation. My marriage was the first same-sex marriage to be sanctioned by the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. I am a public speaker on LGBTQ+ (two-spirit) cultural history, suicide prevention, and anti-bullying. I want people to understand that two-spirit identity is sacred.” 
L to R: Vera Allen, Jada Lynn Aljubalah, and Trina Fasthorse in Minneapolis This photo shoot included multiracial Indigenous sisters in solidarity, partly in honor of Trina Fasthorse’s grandmother (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe), Phyllis (Joanne) Sam, who was murdered. Vera Allen (Navajo Eastern Agency) wears a t-shirt she designed based on her identity. It reads “Part Stolen/ Part Robbed, All American Survivor.” “Stolen” refers to her African American descent. “Robbed” refers to the taking of Indigenous lands.
Nigigoonsikwe (Little Otter Woman) on Leech Lake Reservation. Nigig (Leech Lake) walks Highway 2 with others in honor of MMIR who go missing on this multi-state highway. Participants carry a staff that moves from person to person until the walk ends and a saging ceremony begins. February 2021 was the fourth year of the walk. 
Guadalupe Lopez in Minneapolis. Guadalupe is Indigenous (White Earth) and Chicana. She is a hand drummer and an advocate for Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition. 
Max (Long Lac Nation and Red Cliff Nation) is two-spirit. We made this image to honor the two-spirit people who are often forgotten about, and to recognize how important it is that they are safe. Two-spirit people deserve justice and attention in the MMIR movement. 
RickyMae Kitto at Leech Lake Recreational Park. Ricky (Santee Sioux) stands symbolically with all the women in her life, fighting for no more stolen sisters. Women often go missing from parks.
Ne-Dah-Ness Rose Greene (she/her) is an emerging photographer and activist of Leech Lake Nation. Her current exhibitions include Maada’ookii (She Shares Hers Gifts) at Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center. Ne-Dah-Ness continually challenges herself to engage people in her creative process.
