05/05/2026
On May 5th we honor the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit Individuals. This year, we want to highlight one of our personal WGS heroes, Ingrid Washinawatok El-Issa (July 31, 1957-March 4, 1999).
A member of the Menominee Nation, Ingrid Opetaw Metaehmoh (Flying Eagle Woman) Washinawatok El-Issa was among the most promising Native American leaders of her generation. As an activist, writer, public speaker, educator, and director of a philanthropic foundation (Fund for Four Directions), she dedicated her life to the cause of Indigenous peoples around the world. A devoted mother and wife of Ali Saleh El-Issa of Palestine, Ingrid was also a prominent leader of the 36,000-member Native American community of New York City, co-founder of the Indigenous Women’s Network, and chair of the Indigenous Caucus in the UN.
In February of 1999, she visited the Uw’a Nation in Colombia with two companions, Lahe’enae Gay and Terrance Freitas, to establish an Indigenous education program for Uw’a children. As Ingrid and her companions were leaving to return home, they were kidnapped on their way to the airport and killed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) eight days later on March 4th, 1999.
Ingrid’s international work reminds us that Indigeneity extends far beyond Turtle Island and that struggles for Indigenous self-determination are deeply interconnected across borders.
The WGS department honors Ingrid through their Ingrid Washinawatok El-Issa Service Award. Established in the fall of 2004 to recognize outstanding Women’s & Gender Studies student scholars in community service.
May we carry Ingrid’s legacy forward by supporting Indigenous sovereignty and practicing community care in our own lives.
