Ellie Bundy honored for MMIP work

CSKT Councilwoman Ellie Bundy of St. Ignatius recently was recognized with the Award of Excellence from the Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation for her efforts to combat the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons crisis.

Bundy was appointed as presiding officer of the MMIP Task Force in January. She has served on the task force since its inception in 2019.

“As a passionate advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls on the MMIP Task Force and for her tribe, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai, Ellie was an ideal selection for the role of presiding officer,” said Dana Toole, DOJ Special Service Bureau chief, in a presentation May 11 at the state Law Enforcement Academy. “Ellie’s thoughtful and quiet leadership and steadfast dedication to the Montana Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force is a testament of her service to Montana.”

“The MMIP Task Force [is unique in] that it brings together representatives of every Montana tribal government, several agencies of state, and tribal agencies to the table to work as one governing body to find solutions to the historic and ongoing loss of Indigenous women, men, and children who go missing in our state,” Toole said.

Toole said the task force was created by the 2019 Montana Legislature to identify jurisdictional barriers and strategies to address communication and collaboration among law enforcement agencies, community organizations and other stakeholders in the reporting, locating and investigating of missing Indigenous persons.

Toole said Bundy plays a critical role within the task force, with skill in recognizing the complex differences between sovereign nations, understanding local, state and federal agencies and jurisdictions, and navigating the 2021 Montana legislative session as the task force’s recognized leader for several crucial MMIP bills.

Bundy said she was surprised to receive such recognition.

“You don't look for those kinds of things in this kind of work because there's a lot of heavy stuff.”

Bundy said her journey began when she attended an MMIW community meeting. The stories she heard at the meeting stayed with her and led her to where she is today.

“How do you hear stuff like this and not do something?”

She said two years ago no one would have imagined her stepping outside of her comfort zone and presenting to large crowds. She has had to overcome her fear of public speaking.

“With this topic, I almost feel like I don't have the luxury of not doing things,” she said. “I struggled with wanting to turn away certain things, but I start to think that if you can affect one person by putting yourself out there and being uncomfortable, you have to do it.”

Prior to her appointment to the state task force and her election to CSKT Tribal Council, Toole said, Bundy’s local leadership was instrumental in developing the CSKT local MMIP task force.

“Ellie’s work as a council member of the CSKT and MMIP liaison for the Tribe shows her desire to serve those in her community. Ellie is continually working [to] improve public safety in Montana.”

— Char-Koosta News contributed to this report.