Sexism Meets Racism: Native American Women Live a Different Truth Than White Women
Introduction
While there is a general assumption that all women experience in the same way - or at least very similarly - that completely dismisses the fact that race plays a huge factor in the way women are treated. Sexism and racism tend to go hand in hand and it’s irresponsible as activists to ignore that. Women of color are constantly dealing with both issues and that comes with endless harmful stereotypes. Just to name a few: “black women are angry”, “hispanic women are housekeepers”, “muslim women who wear hijabs are oppressed”, and “indigenous women are inherently promiscuous.” If we continue to assume that all women walk through life experiencing the same set of problems, we’ll miss out on so many ways we can help them fight for the rights they deserve. Indigenous women in particular are constantly being belittled and erased from the conversation so the goal of this paper is to not only educate on the problems they face in their daily lives but to also call for social change.
General Context
The Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women wrote an article about “MMIWG2S - Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit” in which they detail the horrible odds native women face. The article explains that murder is the 3rd leading cause of death for native women between the ages of 10 and 24 years old and the 5th leading cause of death for women ages 25 to 34 years old (CSVANW, 2022). In comparison to white women of the same age, for whom homicide is the 6th leading cause of death. Native women begin life at a disadvantage because they are so much more likely to be killed. In addition to that, a research article called “Violence Against Native Women” written by Roe Bubar and Pamela Jumper Thurman (2004) provides even more important context. Bubar and Thurman explain that “an intimate partner raped Native women at a 15.9% victimization rate” and “nearly 75% of Native American and Alaska Native female homicide victims are killed by someone they know” (p.72). These numbers show that not only is the violence coming from outside their communities, it’s also coming from within. It’s almost impossible to escape violence as a Native woman - especially in this day and age - because it has become such a large part of their lives and deaths.
A good amount of the issues that women face are because of their gender, but there’s a terrible disparity between races. It’s so unfortunate that this is the world we live in but it’s also so important that we bring awareness to this issue. White people - women specifically - have to take a step back and acknowledge the privilege they have because of their race. They have to take part in the fight to get Native women the rights they already have. This problem will never be solved if no one even knows it’s happening.
In addition to constantly dealing with violence, Native women also face financial problems even when they’re full time employees. Lean In wrote an article titled “Native American women face a pay gap—and that’s part of a much bigger problem” in which they explain just how much the wage gap affects Native women. The article explains that Native American women earn 40% less than white men which is also 20% less than white women (Lean In, 2022). Some of the long term effects of this gap are obvious - such as the fact that they’re missing out on about 1 million dollars in income compared to white men. But some are less obvious. For example, almost 3 in 5 Native mothers are the breadwinners (online the western stereotype of men holding that role) which means that they’re unable to provide for their family because the system literally does not let them (Lean In, 2022). Native women are at a disadvantage no matter what job they hold and their families are suffering for it. While all women experience an awful wage gap, women of color feel the consequences much more than white women.
Personal Experiences
It would be hypocritical to talk about solving the problems that Native women are facing without sharing their own personal stories. Esther G. Belin (1999) is a famous Diné artist and writer and she’s most well known for her work From the Belly of my Beauty which is a collection of her poems. One in particular stood out, “Euro American Womanhood Ceremony”, and in it Belin tells the story of how Native Americans were forcefully removed from their reservations and forced into American boarding schools. She says, “[the girls] were trained to specialize in domestic household work to mimic the rituals of Euro-American women” (Belin, 1999). Women are “expected” to be housekeepers in western society but that’s not exactly the case for Native women, at least not in their cultures. That makes it even more devastating that these young women were forced into these roles. They were taken off the reservations and made to conform to societal standards that weren’t their own. So even though it’s unfortunate that white women have to deal with this stereotype, at least they weren’t stolen from their homes and then forced into it. Later on in the poem, Belin (1999) talks about the “womanhood ceremony” they were supposed to have on the reservation. They had their own way of doing things and the girls were robbed of this beautiful experience to celebrate growing older with their family and their community. This isn’t to say that white women don’t experience problems because of this stereotype, but it’s twice as unfair that native women have to deal with both the stereotype and the trauma of being forcibly removed from their homes.
Another common misconception about native people is that due to their lack of written history, their experiences aren’t as valid. A great example of this is shown in a poem written by Ophelia Zepeda (2008) called “Birth Witness” from her book Where Clouds are Formed. In this poem, Zepeda (2008) talks about how her birth is not seen as “real” in the Western world simply because she doesn’t have a birth certificate or documentation of it. She explains that her language is “too civil for writing. It is too civil for writing minor things like my birth” (Zepeda, 2008). She is forced to conform to the standards set by people who don’t know her culture in order to have even a chance of success. If there was more education about their language and their way of doing things, maybe there would be systems in place to prevent this from happening to more people. But instead, Native people are constantly having to explain themselves or just accept that no one will ever take the time to truly understand. The documentary A Thousand Voices (2014) shares many different stories from Native women of different backgrounds and how they are adapting to living in a Western society. One in particular stood out, a story told by a man about his grandmother. He talks about how she always put on a brave front in the face of bullying in discrimination because she wanted to teach him “a lesson of compassion. And a lesson of strength” (A Thousand Voices, 2014). However, as inspiring as that story is, it’s also a bit sad. Outside of their community, there is an assumption that women are weaker and quieter and in order to protect their family, they have to fit that as best as they can. His grandma could have stood up for herself and her grandson but it was just easier to walk away. She was limited by the way society expects her to act. So yes, this man was taught a lesson of strength and compassion but he was also shown how damaging stereotypes can be. He describes his grandmother as a strong leader and beautiful woman and she is all of those things, but she’s forced to live in a white centric world which means that she can’t be that all of the time which is sad.
Racism on Film
One of the best places to see examples of the different ways women are mistreated due to their race would be film. It’s common for a woman to be background characters on film and play nothing but a love interest, but it’s a little bit different for Native women due to the many stereotypes at the disposal of the writers. The time period a movie is made can also play a big part in the treatment of the female characters in it. For example, Stagecoach, a film directed by John Ford in 1939, has a shameful portrayal of women of color. Despite the main “villain” of the film being the Apaches, there is only one Native woman who’s given a speaking role. And for the most part, all she does is break up the plot of the movie with a song (Stagecoach, 1939). This scene serves little to no purpose and it seemed like all the writers were trying to do was make her look and sound beautiful. Native women are often sexualized both on film and in real life and this movie is no exception. Even in a movie that’s supposedly about Native Americans, their roles are lackluster, stereotypical, and demeaning.
In comparison to Stagecoach, Drunktown’s Finest has a more modern yet just as depressing depiction of the treatment Native women experience. One of the characters, Felixia, is transgender and the audience gets to see how she navigates the world as a trans woman of color. Felixia is a sex worker and she uses her gender identity and her race to her advantage and seeks out men who fetishize women like her (Drunktown’s Finest, 2014). Given the fact that his film was made in the 21st century, it’s message is slightly better than Stagecoach because at least in this one, the Native woman isn’t just a sexual being. Felixia is actually given a personality and we see how the horrible treatment affects her. In one scene, she’s auditioning for a Native American women calendar and the other contestants make a transphobic joke at her expense and she runs off crying (Drunktown’s Finest, 2014). Even though she doesn’t fight back at this moment, Felixia is not written as a weak woman. By the end of the film, she embraces all that she is, including her culture, and doesn’t let her mistreatment rule her life.
Systems of Oppression
As previously stated about the wage gap, there are systems of oppression in place in our world that don’t allow Native women to succeed. One that affects almost every aspect of their lives is healthcare. It’s already well known that women are often not believed by doctors or their problems are brushed off with commands to “lose a few pounds.” However, when a woman of color goes to the doctor she has to deal with that on top of the fact that many doctors are either not trained to treat or diagnose patients that aren’t white or they’re just racist. A research article called In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-Specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care written by Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond explains the ways in which indigenous women are discriminated against at doctors’ offices. Dr. Turpel-Lafond (2020) lists the many stereotypes that are inflicted upon these women and they include but are not limited to: “‘Less Worthy’ of Care”, “Drinkers/Alcoholics”, and “Irresponsible/Non-compliers” (p. 21). These women have to walk into the office knowing that without even having the chance to introduce themselves, people will assume they know everything there is to know about them. That can make it incredibly difficult to argue on your behalf and fight for the treatment you deserve. In fact, Dr. Turpel-Lafond (2020) mentions that these stereotypes lead to “inappropriate/no pain management”, “rough treatment”, and “medical mistakes” (p. 22). Imagine trying to get help for a chronic illness or even something as simple as the common cold and being shamed, not believed, and even harmed by your doctor. That’s the truth that these women have to live each time they try to get help. That can lead to a mistrust of doctors, and the healthcare system in general, and they might begin to put off going to the doctor all together and not receive possibly life saving medical help.
Another place that indigenous women have to deal with racist systems is college. College is supposed to be a place of new opportunities and learning, yet so many people are shunned, discriminated against, and not given a fair chance to have those experiences. A research article written by Brenna L. Greenfield titled Understanding measures of racial discrimination and microaggressions among American Indian and Alaska Native college students in the Southwest United States explains the long term effects of such treatment. She writes, “greater exposure to discrimination on each measure had small but significant associations with more substance use, lower income, and poorer self-rated physical health” (Greenfield, 2021). This kind of discrimination has become so normalized it’s almost expected that these women experience it, yet no one is talking about what it’s really doing to them. They are at higher risk for drug problems and being poor just because they choose to go to college as indigenous women. This isn’t something that’s going to change overnight, because clearly this is a structural problem. There needs to be a larger discussion and colleges have to step up and start shutting down students who think it’s ok to treat others like this.
Conclusion
bell hooks is a famous feminist activist, most known for her piece written in 2000, Feminism Is for Everybody, a work in which she encourages her readers to step closer to feminism and reevaluate their take on it and what it truly means to them. She wants people to acknowledge that white feminism is not the end all be all of feminism and that in order to cause real change we must work together and bring more people into the movement. hooks (2000) wrote “sisterhood could not be powerful as long as women were competitively at war with one another” (p. 3). White women aren’t technically wrong to fight for rights for themselves because as women they are mistreated by a lot of society. They had to fight for voting rights, they are still fighting for equal pay, and they deal sexual harrassment on the daily. But they’re wrong when they choose to ignore women of color who deal with similar and oftentimes worse issues. Suffragettes shouldn’t have just “started” with white women, they should have pushed for voting rights for all women regardless of race. The wage gap is 20% worse for Native women yet that fact is often left out of the equal pay conversation. Women on film are hypersexualized but Native American women are automatically expected to be sexual beings both on film and in real life. There is no room for improvement if people are refusing to look at the entire picture. While the assumption might be that we need to take a step back to see it, let’s follow what bell hooks asks of us. Let’s step closer to feminism, step closer to Native women, step closer to the problems they deal with on a day to day basis and listen. Hear their stories and their struggles and ask how you can help. The world will never progress if we refuse to listen and Native American women have been screaming for years.