American Indian Women's Activism in the 1960s and 1970s

The article “American Indian Women's Activism in the 1960s and 1970s” started by defining the idea of red power and giving a brief overview of its origins. It also described three events which occurred in the sixties and seventies and were the beginning of red power movements. These were the occupation of Alcatraz, the Fish-In movement, and the occupation at Wounded Knee. This article focuses on the roles that women took during these movements, even though men were the most recognized by the media. The end of the article looks at how white feminist movements during this time period differed from the American Indian women’s movements.

There were many key points in this article. One of the first was pointing out the differences between these movements and other civil rights movements at the time. The Native Americans were fighting assimilation and pushing towards rights to maintain their cultural identity instead of fighting for equal rights. Also, one of their main goals was to get the government to recognize rights that they should have been granted according to various treaties. Also, the women in these movements had different priorities then the feminist movement such as sterilization abuse and assimilation of their children by adoptions outside of their culture. Another key point in this article was colonization through urbanization and disbanding of the tribes. In 1953, the Termination Act was passed which encouraged tribes to give up their status as tribes and move the educated youth to the city. I feel it is important to look at the consequences of this Act in how if affected women. With kinship being a huge part of this culture, staying close to your family helps perpetuate it. By moving individuals into urban areas, they lose ties to their families and therefore lose a bit of their culture and identity as Native Americans. This was the purpose of the Termination Act. However, one of the unforeseen side effects was also a renewed interest in tribal values. Still some problems arose amongst the Indians as to who was “Indian enough.” This dissention was encouraged by members of the FBI, because when they were divided they were not as powerful as they could be when they collectively concentrated themselves toward their goals.

The occupation of Alcatraz was the first movement to receive widespread media attention. It was a peaceful movement characterized by gestures which mocked the way the Native Americans have been treated by the government, such as offering forty cents an acre to buy the land, and staking claims on it, with claim stakes. While the men received most of the media coverage for this movement, it was the women who supported them and held down their day to day lives at the same time who really made it possible. Also it reminded the men in the community how supportive and important the women were to keeping Native culture alive and in organizing and caring for a family. The Fish-In in Washington state was a movement to keep fishing rights guaranteed by treaties which the population was dependent on for sustenance. This became violent and it was women on the front line with guns in hand, protecting the fishing nets. There were also women leaders in this movement who had a hard time being recognized as leaders by their male peers. I feel that this is evidence of the colonization influence because before the European dominance of the region, gender was not an aspect of becoming a recognized leader. At Wounded Knee, it was also a very violent. The idea for this occupation came from the elder women in the community who did not like what was happening in their community and the fact that the white violence against natives was not being recognized as crime.

Some themes from this article include ‘colonization’, ‘native women’s rights versus feminism’, and ‘women as unseen yet important leaders within the Native American community.’ Here are some quotes to back each of these themes:

“Tribes were refused building permits for hospitals and schools since this might encourage some to remain on their land rather than relocate (Burnett 1972, 567). Congress would only consider compensation for stolen land and resources to those tribes who were willing to develop a termination plan (Olson 1984, 158). The termination policy occurred in a time period of widespread fear that American values were under threat from outside the country and from within (Sinclair 1996, 89). Indians who had not assimilated into dominant culture were viewed as un-American by some.” (116)

“A great deal of paternalism, and very little awareness of Indian women's priorities, were exhibited by most white women. Communication problems were common, as white women assumed superiority in their way of thinking and doing things. As Bea Medicine (Lakota) has noted, "Indian women do not need liberation, they have always been liberated within their tribal structure" (Daly 1994, 238). White women expected that Indian women with a gender consciousness would automatically lend their support to issues which white women prioritized, but they seldom expressed an interest in a reciprocal relationship. As Laura Waterman Wittstock (Seneca) noted, "Tribalism, not feminism, is the correct route: (Medicine 1978, 334). Few white feminists were able to grasp the nationalist content of Indian women's activism.” (128)

“The work of women was essential in the daily running of the island, including running the community kitchen, school, and health center. Yet male figures such as Richard Oakes (Mohawk), head of San Francisco State Native American Student group, and bartender and twenty-three-year-old John Trudell (Santee Lakota), who ran the radio broadcast from Alcatraz, received more media attention at the time and remain better known to this day.” (119)

Some questions that I have after reading this article: During the Fish-In and the occupation of Wounded Knee, how did it come to violence? Also, I would like to learn more about Dick Wilson and his various transgressions and why he was not persecuted for them.