In Sarah Deer’s chapter, Federal Indian Law and Violent
Crime, Deer addresses how tribal communities were stripped of their own
autonomy. Because of this, tribal communities have become dependent of treaties
and federal policies (33).
Before colonialism, tribal communities governed themselves. Colonizers
impeded tribal communities and took control of them. One of the ways in which
tribal communities were taken control of was through sexual violence. It made
it easier for colonizers to take control of communities. According to one of
the statistics Deer included, “native women are the most victimized population
in the Unites States” (34). After colonialism, it appears that native American communities
have adapted to the colonial culture. Sexual violence has become normalized
within the community.
It seems that, after colonialism, power was not restored or
given back to the tribal communities. And so, laws like the Major Crimes Act
and Public Law 280, are dismantling the tribal community’s justice systems. The
laws are slowly removing power from the tribal community to handle situations
within their community. So, they are becoming more dependent on the U.S
jurisdiction. Deer mentions that federal agencies place “tribal citizens at a
high risk for victimization and violence” and “hire persons with a history of
violence” (37). So, it becomes apparent that the federal agencies need to make
major adjustments to help the tribal communities. Because even after
colonialism, native women are still experiencing sexual violence and they are
the most victimized.
After doing a bit of research, I found an organization
called the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women. The organization’s goal
is to “create violence free communities.” I do not know much about the efforts
of people trying to help tribal communities. It is not something one hears
about, unless they actively look for organizations helping. This organization
is mobilizing tribal communities to bring forth systematic change.And this is done through training to not only educate natives, but people who aren't native as well.
https://www.csvanw.org
I guess something we could discuss in class would be how can we restore power within tribal communities without enforcing new laws upon them. I know that the obvious answer would be to withdraw policies or laws from the communities, but the U.S probably will not do that.
I guess something we could discuss in class would be how can we restore power within tribal communities without enforcing new laws upon them. I know that the obvious answer would be to withdraw policies or laws from the communities, but the U.S probably will not do that.
I really like that you point to how when colonialism stripped and continues to strip native people of their autonomy, women bear a huge hunk of the burden. As one of the effects of colonialism is the displacement of culture, former ideals about women and gender in native societies are more often than not, knocked and replaced by western ideals. This is especially pertinent when referring to the Navajo, as Sarah Deer points to the status change of women. While women maintain their roles as figures for guidance in their communities, they are "more likely to experience violence" (Deer 2016: 52). As people are displaced, so too are their ideals and replaced by toxic colonialist standards which perpetuate violence.
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