A general introduction to the social and legal issues involved in acts of violence against Native women, this book's contributors are lawyers, social workers, social scientists, writers, poets, and victims. In the U.S. Native women are more likely than women from any other group to suffer violence, from rape and battery to more subtle forms of abuse, and Sharing Our Stories of Survival explores the causes and consequences of such behavior. The stories and case-studies presented here are often painful and raw, and the statistics are overwhelmingly grim; but a countervailing theme also runs through this extremely informative volume: Many of the women who appear in these pages are survivors, often strengthened by their travails, and the violence examined here is human violence, meaning that it can be changed, if only with much effort and education. The first step is to lay out the truth for all to see, and that is the purpose accomplished by this book.
Sarah Deer is staff attorney and Victim Advocacy Legal Specialist for the Tribal Law & Policy Institute in Saint Paul, Minnesota; she is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma. Bonnie Clairmont, a citizen of the HoChunk Nation of Wisconsin, works for the Tribal Law & Policy Institute; she has worked for 20 years as a counselor and advocate for victims of sexual and domestic abuse. Carrie Martell is a law student at the University of New Mexico.Maureen L. White Eagle has practiced law in various tribal jurisdictions in North Dakota and Minnesota.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Beloved Women: Life Givers, Caretakers, Teachers of Future Generations2 Sexual Violence: An Introduction to the Social and Legal Issues for Native Women3 Domestic Violence: An Introduction to the Social and Legal Issues for Native Women4 Special Issues Facing Alaska Native Women Survivors of Violence5 Overview of Issues Facing Native Women Who Are Survivors of Violence in Urban Communities6 "From a Woman Who Experienced Violence"7 Walking in the Darkness, Then Finding the Light8 Violence Across the Lifecycle9 Prisoner W-20170/Other10 Living in Fear11 Introduction to Advocacy for Native Women Who Have Been Raped12 The Role of Advocates in the Tribal Legal System: Context is Everything13 Overview of Sexual Violence Perpetrated by Purported Indian Medicine Men14 Jurisdiction and Violence Against Native Women15 Representing Native American Victims in Protection Order Hearings16 Using Full Faith and Credit to Protect Native American Survivors of Domestic Violence, Stalking, and Sexual Assault17 Divorce, Child Custody, and Support Issues in Tribal Courts18 The Indian Child Welfare Act and Violence Against Women19 The Role of probation in Providing Safety for Native WomenPart 20 Twenty-two poems by Native poets
