Isaac Hunt of Fort Totten disappeared on March 8 of this year. As of this printing, no updates on his whereabouts have surfaced. Despite no information on his whereabouts, his family hasn’t given up on finding any information on him. This past Saturday evening, Hunt’s family held a public walk and candlelight vigil to continue bringing awareness to his disappearance.
“The reason we decided to have this vigil was because we noticed the tribe wasn’t recognizing Isaac the way they should’ve been considering he’s the second missing person around here,” said Trinity Hunt, Isaac’s sister, and Cherise Robertson, Isaac’s first cousin in a written statement. “We wanted to make it a point that missing native men matter and our tribe should be showing support for both families. Instead of [Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women] it needs to be MMIR for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. During October the tribe had their native American week and only recognized MMIW.”
They also said the tribal council was not involved or supported the vigil.
People who attended brought signs in support of Hunt’s family and other Native Americans who had disappeared. The group gathered at the Fort Totten Recreation Center and walked together to the BIA corrections about a mile away. They attached signs and body cutouts on the fence outside the BIA corrections building. They were removed sometime after. Calls were made to the BIA agency in Fort Totten with no response.
“We wanted to show BIA that we’re going to keep pushing for justice for Isaac. When the community comes together we can do big things and wanted to show that we’re not giving up on him. There are murderers roaming freely on the reservation and surrounding communities. This is something we should all be aware of… Not one person has been questioned for Isaac,” Trinity and Cherise said.
The crowd walked back to the Rec Center where dinner was served. After dinner, a candlelight vigil was held and red balloons were let go into the air.
“It was really a good turnout. I’m thankful that everybody came, and that you guys also came here to help us spread awareness because it hasn’t been in the spotlight and we’ve been searching for Isaac since March,” said Isaac’s aunt Phyllis DuBois.
On Friday, Nov. 15, and Saturday, Nov. 16, at 9 a.m., an organized search will be done for Isaac Hunt and Jemini Posey (who also went missing this year). If you are interested in joining, dress warm and meet at the Fort Totten Wellness Center.
