Sharing Our Stories of Survival

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.

• 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

This book is a must for anyone dealing with issues relating to women, Native Americans, or violence. The ethnographic discussion of violence in Native American cultures as a result of historical influences, including colonization and Christianization, is an important and often-overlooked element in understanding and eliminating violence in these communities. The text offers a unique discussion of violence, advocacy, and legal systems in the context of cultural and historical elements. The personal survival stories offer insights into the violence as well as into existing coping mechanisms in Native communities. The practical information, including how to talk to women involved in violence, tribal legal systems, and issues of custody and the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), is invaluable to anyone working in these or related fields. Firmly imbedded in Native traditions of holistic existence, this book offers information that will be transferable to other ethnicities dealing with violence. Valuable for students of all levels, professors, advocates, and practitioners. *Summing Up:* Essential. All levels/libraries.