[Indigsol] Native Women and Two-spirited People's Struggles -IPSMO Working Group

[mattm-b at resist.ca]

Native Women and Two-spirited People's Struggles

  Our current projects include organizing an event to raise awareness
about missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada, organizing
another event to highlight native women's experiences of the Canadian
criminal (in)justice system and prison-industrial complex and educating
ourselves on diverse subjects that effect the lives of native women and
two-spirited people.

Our next meeting will be on February 10th at 5:30pm

If you want to come, or have any questions or comments, you can contact
peiju_wang at hotmail.com

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Native Women and Two-spirited People's Struggles -Working Group

  The Native Women's movement was initiated when Native women became aware
that they were discriminated against by Canada's Indian Act
<http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/I-5/>  on the basis of race, gender and
marital status [1].  The Indian Act is race legislation that defines who is
an "Indian" and contains certain legal disabilities and legal rights for
registered Indians [2].  It has been one of the most oppressive colonial
instruments of the Canadian Government [3].

  Before the Native peoples were colonized by the Europeans, Native
communities were, for the most part, egalitarian; women actively
participated in social, economical and political decision-makings in their
daily lives.  In fact, as creators of life and the carriers of culture, they
were central to the survival of their people.  Since colonization, Native
women have suffered multiple oppressions include gender violence, racism and
class oppression.  Until today, these oppressions are still relevant to
the lives of Native women.

  In the past decade, it is estimated that over 3,000 women have gone
missing, 80% of whom are Aboriginal.  Based on a report
<http://www.amnesty.ca/campaigns/resources/amr2000304.pdf>  issued by
Amnesty International Canada, the horrific violence against Indigenous
women in Canada is rooted in racism, class oppression and sexism, and
the majority of the Canadians don't seem to care about the missing or
murdered Aboriginal women. The mainstream media has paid very little
attention to these crimes, in comparison to the crimes on white women. 
In addition, the Government of Canada has not yet put any substantial
efforts to eliminate these violence and discrimination against
Indigenous women.

  In solidarity with Native women's struggles, IPSMO aims to raise awareness
of and help the majority of the Canadians understand colonialism and
patriarchy; the source of oppressions and the detrimental impacts of
colonization and patriacrhy on the existence of Native women and
consequently the survival of their nations as a whole. IPSMO will also
support Native Women's movements for liberation; self-determination for
themselves and their people.

  In 2008, in support of Walk4Justice
<http://www.nwac-hq.org/en/documents/2008.09.15_walkforjusticePoster_FINAL.pdf>
, IPSMO organized two fundraising events - Movie Fundraiser- "Finding
<http://www3.nfb.ca/collection/films/fiche/?id=52581>  Dawn" and Good
Vibrations- Music and Spoken Word Poetry by Native and non-Native
artists. Walk4Justice is a group of brave women and men that left
Vancouver, BC on June 21, 2008 and marched to Ottawa for September 15,
2008, to demand a response from Parliament Hill on the violence against
Indigenous women.

[1] [3] From "The Fourth World An Indigenous Perspective on Feminism and
Aboriginal Women's Activism" by Grace J. M. W. Ouellette

[2] From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Act_(Canada)

Recommended Readings:



*        Making Space for Indigenous Feminisms, edited by Joyce Green
*        Conquest by Andrea Smith
*        Strong Women Stories by Kim Anderson and Bonita Lawrence
*        Women in American Indian Society by Rayna Green
*        The Fourth World An Indigenous Perspective on Feminism and
         Aboriginal Women's Activism by Grace J. M. W. Ouellette
*        Thunder in My Soul: A Mohawk Woman Speaks by Patricia Monture-Angus

Internal Research:

*        Racism and the politics of population control
*        Colonization and the Indian Act
*        Gender violence, sexual violence and native women
*        Residential Schools
*        Environmental health and wellness and traditional indigenous
         healing practices
*        Reproductive justice
*        Reconciliation: revitalization and revaluation of traditional
         indigenous cultural practices
*        The history and oppression of two-spirited people

Other Resources:

*        Indigenous Women's Network - http://indigenouswomen.org
         <http://indigenouswomen.org/>
*        Native Women's Association of Canada, Sisters in Spirit -
         http://www.nwac-hq.org/en/background.html
*        Amnesty International Canada - Stolen Sisters, Discrimination and
         Violence against Indigenous Women in Canada -
         http://www.amnesty.ca/campaigns/sisters_overview.php



-- 
"All oppression is relative.
All oppression is specific."

- Albert Memmi