Colorado tattoo artist raises money, awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women

In the United States, a combination of historical systematic oppression, poverty, and issues surrounding tribal sovereignty has led to a crisis in the Indigenous community. American Indian and Alaska native women experience a murder rate 10 times higher than the national average.

Since 2022, the State of Colorado has had a Missing Indigenous Person Alert that goes out when an Indigenous person goes missing. Since the beginning of the program, 164 alerts have gone out, and 144 people have been found. Twenty people are still missing.

That's why Victoria Perez, a tattoo artist in Aurora, is using her talent to bring awareness to this issue.

"It's a really big problem," Perez said.

Perez, who goes by "Turtle," says she was on TikTok and saw that some other women in other states with Indigenous ancestry were raising money for the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center by giving tattoos designed to raise awareness about the dangers Indigenous women face every day.

"And when I saw her video as an indigenous woman myself, I wanted to do what I can to help spread awareness," Perez said.

She designed her own flash sheet of designs. Starting Friday, anyone can come into Perez's shop and pay between $40 and $100 to get a tattoo of one of her original designs, or a design from one of the other Indigenous artists across the nation participating in the event.

"Forty percent of the proceeds are going to go to the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center," Perez said.

Adriana Vallejo was Turtle's first customer on Friday morning. This isn't her first tattoo, but it is a meaningful one to her. She is getting a missing and murdered Indigenous women awareness symbol to honor her ancestors and raise awareness.

"I think getting it is going to be a good conversation starter, if anything," said Vallejo. "As far as I know, most people don't know very much, if anything, about this movement."

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, murder is the third leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls. Vallejo says she's happy to be doing her part, no matter how small, to raise awareness and protect Indigenous women and girls.

"It'll just raise a little bit of awareness," she said.

Perez says she hopes a lot of people stop by and get a tattoo like Vallejo did.

"I'm hoping to be able to donate a lot," she said.

If you want to participate in the fundraiser or donate money, you can stop by 1350 Chambers Rd. Suite 301 in Aurora on from Nov. 21 to 23 from noon to 6 p.m.