Missing and murdered indigenous women of the U.S.A.

Violence against indigenous women in the U.S.A. 

Indigenous women targeted

Indigenous women are more then twice as likely to be victims of violence then non-indigenous women. One in three indigenous women are raped or attempted to have been in their lifetime nearly 80% of these crimes are committed by non-native men. Another study found 97% of native victims have been abused by someone non-native the women are often victims of physical violence. On some reserves native women are murdered at 10 times the national average. These numbers are profoundly high and this is making a big hole in the already small population of native people. Something needs to change for these women with statistics such as these it would be difficult for them not to live in fear. The U.S.A. is facing this problem and so is Canada the epidemic has been going on for years and more drastic measures need to be taken to help. A big reason there is a disproportionate rate of assault to indigenous women is that tribes don't have the legal ability to prosecute non tribal members.

Missing information 

To often cases of missing and murdered indigenous women have not had forensic evidence accurately  collected or preserved by local law enforcement  cases have quickly gone cold and important evidence has been lost or never forwarded to the appropriate agency's. From 1992-1996 although more indigenous women were being targets of assault they were less likely to be reported. This caused incorrect data that groups have tried to bring the correct statistics to so they can raise awareness about unreported cases. Being unreported attackers go unpunished and this makes indigenous women targets for people to likely get away with the crimes. It is as if people have lost hope and are not trying to stop this problem. The victims feel their voice will not be taken in as an important enough occurrence to have serious  measures taken to solve the crimes. Having so many people feeling this way is unbelievably tragic.

Serious issues 

The federal government has no national database for missing and murdered indigenous women like Canada does being a national crisis this shouldn't be the case. This gives tribes no place to report these types of crimes and no place to get information about them. The National crime Information center had a number of 5712 missing native women this was thought to have been low and of these the FBI only put 116 into the department of justices federal missing persons data base where law enforcement agencies can exchange information. The Federal Bureau of Investigation took 116 people out of 5712 that isn't right. The 2015 tribal access program was to grant tribes access to the National Crime Information Center but only 47 out of 573 tribes in the united states have participated as of 2019 and the cost of updating computers is high this means many crimes go unreported and tribal investigators have limited ability to pull up information on suspects so many cases go uninvestigated and unsolved. The U.S. crime victims fund is supposed to pay for preventative and support services tribes have to fight for their share relying on states to disperse the money. A department of Justice report released in 2017 said that from 2010-2014 the sates governments passed only 0.5% of funds to support tribal victims. Tribes with access to the national crime information center often don't enter records its believed to be because of lack of staff and because native women do not try to file. It is considered easier to get away with crimes on reservations due to lack of policing and tribal jurisdiction. Tribes are not able to punish non native tribal members on their lands so Tribal State and Federal jurisdiction is split. It can be difficult to determine who leads the investigation in crimes. The Department of Justice has only pursued prosecution in about half of murder cases and just over a third of sexual assault cases, and the department has declined more then one third of cases referred to them by reservation authorities. Why this is the case is beyond me but its horribly wrong that the department of justice would decline peoples crime cases.

Action and setbacks

Donald trump created a white house task force on violence against indigenous women its job to develop protocols to apply to new and unsolved cases and create a multi jurisdictional team to review cold cases. Tulalip tribes were prohibited under federal law from prosecuting or arresting non native perpetrators and the US attorneys who had jurisdiction declined most cases. In 2013 Deborah Parker a board member of the National Indigenous women resource center went to Washington DC spoke with lawmakers and helped pass legislation that finally meant non native abusers would face consequences on her reservation and across the US. Iowa senator Joni Ernst introduced senate republicans version of the violence against women act re-authorization bill the legislation includes provisions, the crisis of missing a murdered indigenous women it goes against gains made in 2013 it would give non native abusers that don't wan to comply with tribal law the ability to skip the tribal court process and appeal to federal court and allow abusers to sue if they feel their civil right have been violated. Another bill restores tribal jurisdiction over non native perpetrators for the crimes of sexual assault, rape, sex trafficking and some instances of child abuse.

Many issues surround this topic and much needs to be done to stop this crisis. 

  

Mauna Kea, The Telescope Invasion

Mauna Kea, The Telescope Invasion

The Thirty Metre Telescope

Mauna Kea is a mountain on the island of Hawaii and it is considered sacred to the Kanaka Maoli people, the indigenous Hawaiians, currently, there are 13 structures located on the mountain, the limit that the University of Hawaii’s lease allows, but the university started construction of another telescope on the peak called the Thirty Metre Telescope which would make the construction of the telescope would be against the lease. The Kanaka Maoli people along with hundreds of more people blocked the access road to stop the construction and protested the use of their sacred land.

Why is the Thirty Metre Telescope an Issue for the Hawaiian People?

The Mauna Kea mountain is sacred to the Kanaka Maoli people and is a location for ceremonies take place, with more and more structures being built on the land it is seen as less sacred and safe for Traditional practices, and when all theses structures are allowed to be built, it only signals that more can come. Mauna Kea is regarded as a shrine for worship, home to the gods and Piko of Hawaii, which is the Hawaiian word for where life begins, the word also represents peace, tranquillity and spirituality, a strong sense of regrowth and new beginnings. So the mountain is very important to the indigenous Hawaiian people, so the construction of these telescopes are seen as desecration and disregard of the Hawaiian culture. A huge point that rather protesters make for the TMT to not be constructed is the lease that the University of Hawaii have from the limits thirteen structures, the astronomers and the university say that there are only twelve on the mountain, but they, group a few arrays as one structure, but the protesters see it as more than one structure, also Mauna Kea is the preferred site of the Thirty Metre Telescope for its lack of both smog and light pollution, but the Thirty Metre Telescope has a second site that they can build on where there is no cultural impact for building it.

What is the Land Lease that The University of Hawaii?, and How does it affect the issue with the TMT?

The lease was issued to the University of Hawaii on June 21st, 1968, by the Board of Land and Natural Resources of the State of Hawaii, the lease has a termination date of December 31st, 2033, giving the university the land for 65 years. The Board of Land and Natural Resources of the State of Hawaii was a board made by the US government to have control over the land and resources of the Hawaiian island, the board is not made or run by the Hawaiian Kingdom, yet they can do what they want with the land. With the board that is controlled by the US government and not the Hawaiian Kingdom, ruling over the lands of the indigenous Hawaiians, this issue with Mauna Kea can be seen as a continuation of the colonization that has been going on throughout the history of the US. There is also a problem with the University’s lease, it is technically invalid because the US never properly acquired the island of Hawaii, so that would mean the US doesn’t have the authority to just give parts of the island away.

Why does the US say they have a claim to Hawaii? And how is it wrong?

The United States says that the island of Hawaii was ceded by the Hawaiian Kingdom, which means that the Hawaiian Kingdom, gave the Island to the United States, but all the evidence that the US has is all one-sided, meaning that the only evidence is coming from the United States, nothing from Hawaii saying that they were ceded. When the state of Texas was taken by the United States from the Mexican government, there was a treaty made with both parties present saying that Texas was ceded and that Texas is now owned by the United States, but that is not true for Hawaii, the US government says they made a treaty, they released The Joint Resolution of Annexation, which is not a treaty, it is a municipal law from congress merely saying that cession took place, even when the newspapers were released in Hawaii, saying a treaty was made and the island of Hawaii was now a part of the United States, but the paper said there was a treaty without showing any treaty, so it was all just the government saying that it happened. So because the United States isn’t the owner of Hawaii, it is then classified as an occupying power which means they must follow international law when it comes to an occupying power, one of which is that they must follow the laws that the land they are occupying have in place, so if the United States is an occupying power, then it is against international law for them to give away parts of the Hawaiian island.

How are the Hawaiian people defending their land?

The Hawaiian people, both indigenous and non-indigenous, are protesting the construction of the Thirty Metre Telescope, by blocking the one access road to the summit of Mauna Kea, where the telescopes are located, stopping construction workers and equipment from passing. For a time they also blocked the workers from the other telescopes from passing, until a deal was made by the workers and the protesters on the 10th of august, where the workers of the other telescopes were allowed to return to work, the deal also included construction of a temporary roadway across the hardened lava around the camp, and law enforcement will give protesters a list ahead of time detailing all vehicles going up, to show that they are not there for the Thirty Metre Telescope and are just going to work, so with this deal, the protesters are able to head home and don’t need to stand on the road anymore, but the truce ends in late February and no one doubts that the protesters will return, a protester known as Uncle Sparky said: “If we put out a call, 1000 people would be here in an hour.”. The protesters have also gone to court to try and stop the construction, but so far all attempts have failed and the courts have sided with the construction of the TMT. The protest has also happened in other parts of the US with protests happening in Las Vegas, in front of the famous welcome to Vegas sign, and protesters at Union Square in New York.

Amazon Rainforest Impacts Indigenous people

The Amazon Rainforest Impacts Indigenous People 

Having a Child as an Indigenous Australian

Everyone knows that having a child is one of the hardest things that a woman ever endures in her lifetime, the stress of being a parent mixed with the hormonal and physical changes that your body has to undergo can be a lot for one person to handle. This is why the government and healthcare systems put different programs in place to help new moms cope with these changes. However, in many places around the world, support for women in the process of having a child can be quite hard to come by. Especially for poor countries or for women who struggle with poverty or are part of a minority. 

This is the case for many aborigional women living in Australia. Though most of the world sees Australia as a wealthy country, their aborigional communities are not seen in the same light. When it comes to maternity, these women aren't given any added support, if they’re getting any at all. Women of any type of minority should be given additional support because the struggles that they face can be so much worse and have a much stronger impact on the health of the child and the mother. Mental health during pregnancy and after birth can be a serious issue for some women. It happens to everyone and postpartum depression is a real concern for a lot of women. According to a study done between 1990 and 2013 of 40,000 indigenous children in Australia, there was a 4%-5% increase every year in the occurrence of mental health issues among mothers. These issues were seen to have a direct correlation between the location where the mother lived (in major cities or in more rural areas), her age, and her financial state. The study also concluded that indigenous women that developed mental health complications were more likely to have recurring problems during and after pregnancy.

Another study observing the academic achievements of indigenous students at the age of 5 vs their non-indigenous counterparts, indigenous students were twice as likely to score poorly on tests than non-indigenous students. They found that younger mothers, indigenous or not, were more likely to have a child with issues learning in the classroom. However, the study also concluded that indigenous children were also more likely to have trouble learning no matter the age of the parents. This was mostly due to the lack of support available to native students and their families, as well as other things like poverty and having a teenage mother.

In conclusion, I believe that indigenous families should be granted more support when it comes to having children. With the amount of additional pressures and hoops that they have to jump through just to get the same treatment as other families, and the struggles that they face in their personal lives that most other families in Australia don't have to face should be enough to get extra financial and emotional support.

Ongoing issues in Australia involving Indigenous Peoples, with the national anthem, and child removal.

Ongoing Issues In Australia Involving Indigenous Peoples, With The National Anthem, And Child Removal. 

Australia has had many ongoing outrageous issues involving the Indigenous people. Ultimately they are being treated unfairly and without respect for their needs. For instance, to put yourself in their shoes, would you want your children to be taken from you, just because you are a certain culture? Assuming your answer is no, these are the types of issues that are going on in Australia right now. But if that were your child, wouldn't you want to fight for it? Well, everyone can throughout the world and individuals need to become more aware of all the issues that are happening in Australia to the Indigenous Peoples, so that they can be noticed and address. There are countless amounts of issues and problems in regards to the way the government is treating the Indigenous Peoples. Another being the national anthem. For many of the Indigenous Peoples, it comes across as offensive and hurtful. These are some of the issues that will be addressed in this post, and by the end of this reading, you will want to stand and fight with the Indigenous Peoples in Australia and help them get what they ultimately deserve.

Why Are The Indigenous Peoples Protesting?

To begin with, there were about 10 Indigenous Lacrosse players who protested during the national anthem, by remaining silent while the anthem was playing. This instantly grabbed the media's attention and formed a conversation on the topic. The players protested in the national anthem because they feel as though it does not represent, or have respect for the Indigenous history. The line in the song “Australians all let us rejoice for we are, Young and free”, they feel as though hides the history of the indigenous people. When the song was first being made the Indigenous people were known to be overlooked, or outsiders because that the song is misleading towards their culture making it very hard to enjoy it... “Find it difficult if not impossible to sing” - said Peter Vickery former Supreme Court Judge in Australia.  In other words, the song is bothersome in many ways, and people find it hardly possible to sing. 
Peter is acknowledging the fact that the lyrics in the song are inappropriate.

He realizes that people are affected by this song, himself included. He addresses the

the fact this song does not represent the whole country of Australia to the point that these people are hurt, the song does not represent them, resulting in the impossibility to sing it. The lyrics that are specifically hurtful to the Indigenous people are the line "we are young and free". In my opinion, if I was in their shoes I would be completely offended and hurt by the line. It is completely non-inclusive and does not represent the Indigenous peoples at all. I would be hurt because the Indigenous people get no recognition in the anthem as if they did not exist. If this happened in Canada, to myself or others I would most definitely be upset and want to take action. Therefore, we need to consider the facts and consider how the Indigenous Australians are feeling, we need to help in supporting them in this issue as you would want the same for yourself.

wouldn't you?

Lacrosse players protesting and remaining silent throughout the national anthem. I think it is outstanding that these men came together and took a stand on what they believe in. I believe that this shows a great amount of courage and that they are passionate about the topic. I think that would be very impactful to the country as well because it shows that young individuals have a voice and want to be heard.

Some Protesters Feel As Though Being A Well Known Athlete Will Have More Power And Push When It Comes To Protesting On Important Topics, Was That The Case In This Situation?

In this situation, I believe being an athlete gave these protesters a good opportunity to be heard. Without being an athlete another individual may not have an opportunity to share their opinion in front of so many people right away. I believe that is definitely an advantage, giving them the attention on the topic right away. 

This picture shows the lacrosse players protesting and remaining silent throughout the national anthem. I think

it is outstanding that these men came together and took a stand on what they believe in. I believe that this shows a great amount of courage and that they are passionate about the topic. I think that would be very impactful to the country as well because it shows that young individuals have a voice and want to be heard.

Australia Day.

Australia Day occurs on January 26th annually. Australia day is supposed to be the celebration of the country, and the coming together of everyone. This day is supposed to represent every Australian and their contribution. However for the Indigenous culture that is not the case, if anything this day resembles the opposite for the Indigenous Peoples.

Why Is It Negative For The Indigenous people?

Most Indigenous Peoples living in Australia know this day as Invasion Day. Australia day was

the day where the Indigenous Peoples lost their sovereign land rights, lost family members 

and aspects of their culture. Mansel believes that “they celebrate the coming of one rase at the expense of another”

In other words, Australia is celebrating this day, the taking down of another culture. 

This quote is presenting Australia in its true form. Australia Day is celebrating their taking over

of a culture, Australia Day is by no means an inclusive, or a day celebrating the whole country.

If anything it represents the opposite, diversity and anger. Australia day does not represent the

Indigenous People in any way, the first people on the land, this day plainly represents the attempt

to take over the Indigenous culture. so, if you were an Indigenous Australian would you celebrate Australia Day?

https://youtu.be/6XDhQluIry0

This video explains the impacts of Australia Day on the Indigenous Peoples explained further.

after watching this video I know I most definitely would not celebrate Australia Day. This video made me feel as though the Indigenous people deserve more. This video also taught me the harm of Australia Day

I feel that it leaves a great impact on myself and my feelings towards the day. I feel like the Indigenous peoples deserve their own day, to represent the first people on the land. I believe that since Australia day nowhere near represents the Indigenous people, it is a disgrace!

How Does This Connect To The National Anthem Protest?

This can connect because Australia Day shows the background information on the history of why the Indigenous People dislike the national anthem and do not feel connected with it. Australia Day represents the taking of Indigenous rights, then the national anthem is supposed to represent Australia as a whole country. The Indigenous people have been living with this feeling of hurt, and worthlessness from invasion day, that day changed their culture entirely. Therefore, the Indigenous people do not feel connected, or even the slightest bit fond of the anthem. It is non-inclusive and adverse. 

How Might The Indigenous People View This Issue As More Important Than The Other People Living In Australia?

They are most definitely going to view this issue as more important than other citizens because it directly affects the Indigenous people. When the national anthem was being made it is believed that they disregarded the Indigenous People into the song. Therefore, in today's society, the Indigenous people mainly dislike the song and are affected by it, whereas the other people in Australia do not understand how they view the song, or how it makes them feel. 

Deborah Cheetham.

Debroah cheetah is an Indigenous opera singer from the nation of yorta yorta people in Australia. Debroah was taken from her family when she was a baby. That is one main issue in the Yorta Yorta nations in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia where she grew up in.

The Yorta Yorta nation. 

They Yorta Yorta people are also known as Jotijota, they are Indigenous people, they live around Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. Many different clans make up this nation. 

This picture shows the Yorta Yorta nation on a map of Australia.

What Did She Do To Help?

The opera singer Deborah Cheetham, turned down an offer to sing the national anthem at the Australian football final game in 2015  "The song does not take into account the generations of indigenous life on this continent. It does not value that," she said in other words, the National Anthem does not support the Indigenous People, it does not acknowledge the history, and the position they are in this country and the world. In this quote she is explaining that the song does not represent everyone. They were the first people on this land, and the song does not respect that. This leaves a big impact on society that a well known women in the singing industry turned down the offer. This shows her courage, strength, and her ability to stand up for the Indigenous people. Deborah used her well known title, and fame and this opportunity to take a stand and support her beliefs, and many other Indigenous peoples.The stand that Deborah took shows that she wants change, and that she is concerned about these issues affecting the people.

https://youtu.be/Vf3km1prLY4

Deborah speaks on why she did not sing the national anthem. I believe this video gave me an idea of

how the People truly feel about the song. she says " I cant sing it anymore". However, I did feel happy after this video because Deborah shared her positive thoughts on Australians coming together to take a stand with her. I thought that was great and a positive step in the right direction. 

Lidia Thorpe And Her Cause.

Lidia Thorpe she is now the first Indigenous woman elected in parliament

She set up a program called grandmothers against child removals, and she is trying to take a stand in any way to stop this issue. She is very passionate about this issue, she set up her program in Victoria and it already has made the number of child removals decrease a lot. 

She says "I’ve heard stories from ex-child protection workers about children who

are placed with non-Aboriginal families and who are in great harm. They’ve being

completely disconnected from their Aboriginality and their community."

In other words this means, Lidia has come across many tragic stories displaying the severity and extreme conditions these children are in. By putting the children with non-Indigenous families it puts them at great risk, and distracts them from their culture so they eventually lose touch.

this quote is showing her compassion towards the Indigenous children, but it also shows her education on the issue, she understands the conditions are horrible for these children, and acknowledges that it needs to be fixed.

https://youtu.be/NQLiTcrIqjM

Lidia Thorpe speaks on her personal connection and thoughts towards invasion day. This video was very eye-opening to me. It made me feel great sympathy towards the Indigenous Peoples. After watching this video I feel very upset towards the facts, and Australia Day as a whole. Lidia explains how her great great great grandfather was affected by this, and how it still greatly impacts her life today. This is very upsetting, the fact that so many people will still be affected by Australia Day today, and many years to come. Imagine if you were in this situation? if your ancestor was affected by Invasion day, it would be heartbreaking, wouldn't it? So imagine all the Indigenous families that will forever be affected by this. That is why we need to take a stand on these issues, and give the Indegenous communities what they deserve, and have deserved for hundreds of years. 

Lidia Thorpe highly connects to Deborah Cheetah, as they are both Indigenous women trying to take a stand and fight for the Indigenous rights. As mentioned Deborah was a victim of child abduction, and Lidia has now started programs in Deborah's home town now to minimize and stop child abduction. These two people connect greatly, that Deborah's past experiences are now being looked at with the help of Lidia Thorpe's protection program. Both of these women talk specifically on different Indigenous issues, however they are still fighting for the Indigenous peoples, and are fighting for the issue of the Indigenous people being treated unfairly. 

Map of Australia showing the location of New South Wales, and Victoria.

How Does This Connect To Canada?

The issue of children being taken from their families at a young age now is ongoing in Australia, however I can connect this to an issue that happened a few years ago in Canada, the issue can be referred to as the sixties scoop. The sixties scoop was the huge removal “scooping” of Indigenous children from their families. Then they would be put up for adoption to a non-Indigenous family, this meant for the children to lose touch of their culture. It began in the 1951s, continuing all throughout the 60s. Through 1960 and the 1980s the government thought this was the best way to remove child poverty/welfare problems. An enormous range of children were affected in this time, approximately 20,000 children were taken and put up for adoption. This issue has huge impacts on the people involved. The victims will be left with emotional, and physiological problems. Social worker Raven Sinclar describes the feelings further ““tremendous obstacles to the development of a strong and healthy sense of identity for the transracial adoptee.”  In other words, this quote is presenting that the children that were put up for adoption had a more than tough time, and then had great challenges trying to find themselves, and having healthy mental health, because of the trauma.

In this quote when it says “tremendous obstacles” this can be physical, mental, or physiological complications. With the amount of trauma these children were put through this quote is describing that for them to develop who they are, it is going to be difficult and takes time. 

The sixties scoop has made the children Feel as though they do not fit in anywhere, not in the Indigenous community nor the other cultures. This past issue connects to Australia because child abduction is still present, and it is still happening as previously mentioned. 

That makes me feel upset, that we as a nation have not overcome these horrible issues like child abduction that began many years ago, and it is still present today. It is unacceptable. 

Is The Issue Politically Significant?

Yes this issue is significant because the impacts are long lasting, the emotional, and physiological impact of a child being taken will be extremely long lasting. Many many families and children are negatively affected as well. It directly affects the Indigenous peoples and their children. Also the issue of the national anthem is very significant, it is very emotional and/ or hurtful to many of the Indigenous people. 

What Are The Objectives And Results Of The Government By, Taking Indigenous Children From Their Families ?

Their objective is to remove the Indigenous culture from the child, they want them to grow up with no knowledge of their former culture. The government wanted to shape Indigenous children into a person who they viewed as “good”. The results of this were scarce. Children are now growing up and finding out later in life that they are Indigenous and that they have another family. This is doing more harm than good for the children because they are now developing mental health issues later in life, and the feeling that they do not belong. 

This picture shows the grandmother’s against child abductions. They are protesting after a child in the community was taken. This photo really impacted me, it made me sad because of the reason they are protesting. However, hopeful for them that we can get the the recognition they need.

How Might The Issue Get Better?

In 2015 Manitoba issued a formal apology to the victims. And then in 2017 in Ontario

A judge ruled that the federal government failed in its “duty of care” for the outrageous amount of Indigenous peoples that were taken from their families. 

With that being said, in this situation Canada recognized the problem after the fact and

issued an apology, Canada could have taken more steps into rebuilding the

Indigenous people’s trust, and providing more sympathy on our actions. However this

initially can be a next step for the country of Australia to consider. These issues are

ongoing in Australia right now. We need to make more and more people aware of these

issues so that we can provide support. We need to start conversations on the topics of

issues for instance, the priest during the national anthem, these are good first steps into getting the issues heard and media talking about it. Once more people are educated, and knowledgeable about the topics internationally there will be more help and support towards these issues. 

Why Should People Be Aware Of This?

People should become more aware of these problems, because they are becoming out of hand. We need to take a stand on these topics so that they do not progress worse to the point where we have no control. More people need to be aware of these issues because they are affecting the Indigenous Culture immensely and it is extremely unacceptable. The Indigenous peoples are just as human as the rest of the world and their rights should be treated as fairly as everyone else, and with the same amount of respect, in which in this moment they are not. They are being treated so poorly, and horribly and there needs to be an end to it. This is why more people should be aware of this, so there can be an end put to it. The more people understand the severity of these problems the more support on these issues we can obtain. 

Finally What Can We Do?

Acknowledging that the Indigenous people were the first people on our land expressing that opinion in any situation ( e.g conversation, or public speaking) this will get the proper impression of Indigenous people out there. It will get the initial conversation started about their culture, and will get people thinking about them. Include Indigenous peoples as a topic of discussion, if you are involved in a  debate or even simply a conversation and you happen to be taking about world issues, mention the Indigenous people. Begin to talk about them and the issues they face more, to spread awareness. Build public awareness in any way possible, this could be in school or a community project, any form of public interaction you can bring the attention of Indigenous people try to form recognition from the public, to educate as many people as possible. The biggest thing you can do to support the Indigenous people is

Educate yourself, and as many others as possible. Even by just telling a friend, and educating them on the issues that are ongoing, can help make a difference. We need to help them, and make a difference because in the end we are all human, aren't we?