Medicine Wheel Ride Supports Families of Missing Loved Ones
Motorcycle riders in South Dakota offer families of missing Indigenous people a sense of solidarity and a clearer path forward.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Native American
Medicine Wheel Ride participants use motorcycles to symbolize empowerment, freedom, and resilience while supporting families searching for missing Indigenous loved ones in South Dakota. Families say they feel less alone when the motorcycles arrive.
Why it matters
Many families report feeling lost and unsupported while searching for missing relatives, and often do not know who to call or what happens next. Advocates point to community-based coordination as a way to close those gaps in South Dakota.
The reporting relies on family accounts rather than counted case data, and no figures are provided for how many Indigenous people are reported missing in South Dakota. It is not stated how many families have received support from the ride or how many tribal community response plans are in use.
The players
Journey On Program
Journey On is a program that is waiting to be engaged once an organization identifies the event where help is needed.
Eltina Three Stars
Eltina Three Stars is the Journey On Program Instructor who met the executive director of an organization and helped establish the partnership.
The details
Medicine Wheel Ride riders use motorcycles to show empowerment, freedom, and resilience while visiting families of missing loved ones. Journey On Program Instructor Eltina Three Stars met the executive director of an organization a couple of years ago, and that director invited Journey On to partner.
Timeline
A couple of years ago, Journey On's Eltina Three Stars met the executive director who offered a partnership.
Nov. 1, 2026: Reporting on families' search gaps for missing Indigenous loved ones was published from Rapid City, S.D.
Community Response
Tribal community response plans are written guides that set out who takes a missing-person report, who requests search teams, and who keeps families informed. The Medicine Wheel Ride complements such plans by offering families direct emotional support while coordination runs through those structures.
Families searching for a missing relative may not know who to call or what happens next, and a written tribal community response plan can name who takes the report and who keeps the family informed. The ride offers practical emotional presence while those steps are carried out.
The takeaway
Knowing who to call and what happens next can shorten the isolation families feel when a loved one goes missing. Community partners that coordinate with families and law enforcement help make that process clearer.
Further reading
Explore more Native American coverage on how Indigenous communities are organizing around missing-person support.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Kotatv.
