Honouring Indigenous Women: Hearts of Nations

Honouring Indigenous Women: Hearts of Nations, is a booklet published by us, the Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa. It is part of our ongoing efforts to support Indigenous women on Turtle Island (aka North America) and their struggle for liberation.

We, the Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa, acknowledge our shared history of colonization with all Indigenous peoples and the various forms of violence against them, particularly against Indigenous women. We further acknowledge the tremendous strength of Indigenous women in reclaiming their distinct roles and responsibilities in our societies, and the crucial roles they play in the survival and evolution of our species.

This publication consists of five sections: Struggle, Resistance, Power, Liberation, and Be Solidarity. In each section, we strive to use different forms of creative expressions, mostly from Indigenous women, to draw attention to their lived realities. We acknowledge the diversity of Indigenous cultures and the multitude of gifted Indigenous women who have publicly expressed their experiences through various art forms. The work included here is a mere glimpse and cannot fully represent the voices of all Indigenous women.

Through this publication, we aim to augment the voices of Indigenous women in one of many efforts to break the silence surrounding the systemic violence perpetuated by colonialism. It is an act of solidarity, meant to encourage other acts of solidarity while building bridges between diverse communities and providing education to the dominant culture and recent newcomers about the genocide of Indigenous nations.

Please feel free to click the links below to download the entire booklet (all the files are in PDF format) and distribute far and wide!

• Honouring Indigenous Women: Hearts of Nations Vol. 1 (fold in half)
• Oppression Tree (insert in the Struggle section)
• Deer Clan (insert in the Power section)
• Liberation Tree (insert in the Liberation section)

If you wish to receive hard copies of this pamphlet, please e-mail us at ipsmo@riseup.net. A small donation ($5~10 sliding scale for each booklet) to cover the printing and shipping costs would be appreciated.

Our next project!

As mentioned, this is one of our on-going efforts to walk with Indigenous women. We would like to continue doing this kind of work. If you have any suggestions as to what our next publication should look like, please also feel free to drop us a line at ipsmo@riseup.net before the end of January 2012. We would love to hear from you!

Meanwhile, stay tune for our announcement of our next project to honour Indigenous Women, and how you can be a part of the making process! Please also let us know if you want to get involved in our future projects.

Working together is a very empowering experience. Only if and when we work together, another world is possible. The liberation tree below is included in this pamphlet. It depicts an alternative to the current colonial, capitalist and patriarchal system — the system that has brought us into this mess of ecological and economic crises.

Sources on the “Snapshots of Colonial Violence”

Prison:

• Brennan, Shannon. 2011. “Violent victimization of Aboriginal women in the Canadian provinces, 2009”. In Juristat. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.
• Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies. 2011. Aboriginal Women Factsheet. Ottawa: Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies. Available at elizabethfry.ca/wwdcms/uploads/Aboriginal%20Women.pdf
• Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies. Date unknown. Aboriginal Women. Ottawa: Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies. Available at http://www.elizabethfry.ca/eweek06/pdf/aborig.pdf
• Finn, Ann et al. 1996. “Female Inmates, Aboriginal Inmates, and Inmates Serving Life Sentences: A One Day Snapshot”. In Juristat, Vol. 19 No.5. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.
• Jacobs, Beverley. 2004. Stolen Sisters: Discrimination and Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada.  Ottawa: Amnesty International. Available at http://www.amnesty.ca/campaigns/sisters_overview.php
• Native Women’s Association of Canada. 2006. Native Women’s Association of Canada’s Report in Response to Canada’s Fourth and Fifth Reports on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights covering the period of September 1999 – December 2004. Ottawa: Native Women’s Association of Canada. Available at http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cescr/docs/info-ngos/NWAC.pdf
• Perreault, Samuel. 2009. “The incarceration of Aboriginal people in adult correctional services”. In Juristat, Vol. 29 No. 3. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.
• Prison Justice. 2008. Facts and Statistics. Vancouver: PrisonJustice.ca. Available at http://www.vcn.bc.ca/august10/politics/facts_stats.html
• The Correctional Investigator Canada. 2006. Report Finds Evidence of Systemic Discrimination Against Aboriginal Inmates in Canada’s Prisons. Ottawa: the Correctional Investigator Canada. Available at: http://www.oci-bec.gc.ca/comm/press/press20061016-eng.aspx

Water:

• Amesty International. 2011. Clean water is a human right. Ottawa: Amnesty International. Available at http://www.amnesty.ca/lubicon/?p=755
• Health Canada. 2009. Drinking Water Advisories in First Nations Communities in Canada – A National Overview 1995-2007. Ottawa: Health Canada. Available at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fniah-spnia/pubs/promotion/_environ/2009_water-qualit-eau-canada/index-eng.php
• Health Canada. 2011. First Nations, Inuit and Aboriginal Health – Drinking Water and Wastewater. Ottawa: Health Canada. Available at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fniah-spnia/promotion/public-publique/water-eau-eng.php#how_many

Life expectancy and Health:

• Garner, Rochelle et al. 2010. The Health of First Nations Living Off-Reserve, Inuit, and Métis Adults in Canada: The Impact of Socio-economic Status on Inequalities in Health. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.
• Statistics Canada. 2008. The Daily. Study: Life expectancy in the Inuit-inhabited areas of Canada. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. Available at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/080123/dq080123d-eng.htm
• Statistics Canada. 2008. Aboriginal Peoples in Canada in 2006: Inuit, Métis and First Nations, 2006 Census. Catalogue no. 97-558-XIE. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. Available at http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/as-sa/97-558/pdf/97-558-XIE2006001.pdf

Physical and sexual abuse:

• Bopp, Michael et al. 2003. “Aboriginal Domestic Violence in Canada”. In The Aboriginal Healing Foundation Research Series. Ottawa: Aboriginal Healing Foundation.
• Mann, Michelle. 2005. Aboriginal Women: An Issues Backgrounder. Prepared for Status of Women Canada. Available at http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/SW21-146-2005E.pdf
• McCaslin, Wanda D. and Yvonne Boyer. 2009. “First Nations Communities at Risk and in Crisis: Justice and Security”. Journal of Aboriginal Health, November. Available at http://www.naho.ca/jah/english/jah05_02/V5_I2_Communities_03.pdf
• McIvor, Sharon D. & Teressa A. Nahanee.1998. “Aboriginal Women: Invisible Victims of Violence.” In Unsettling Truths: Battered Women, Policy, Politics, and Contemporary Research in Canada, ed. Kevin Bonnycastle & George S. Rigakos, 63-69. Vancouver: Collective Press.
• The Metropolitan Toronto Action Committee on Violence Against Women. 2001. Statistics Sheet: Sexual Assault. Toronto: Metrac.
• Stout, Madeleine Dion and Gregory D. Kipling. 1998. Aboriginal Women in Canada: Strategic Research Directions.Research funded by Ottawa: Status of Women Canada.

Over-representation in the sex trade:

• Amnesty International. 2004. Stolen Sisters: A Human Rights Response to Discrimination and Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada. Ottawa: Amnesty International. Available at http://www.amnesty.ca/stolensisters/amr2000304.pdf
• Cool, Julie. 2004. Prostitution in Canada: An Overview. Ottawa: Parliamentary Information and Research Service, Library of Parliament. Available at http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/PRB-e/PRB0443-e.pdf
• Cunningham, L. C., & Christensen, C. 2001. Violence against women in Vancouver’s street level sex trade and the police response. Vancouver, Canada: PACE Society.
• Native Women’s Association of Canada. 2010. What Their Stories Tell Us: Research Findings from the Sisters in Spirit Initiative. Ottawa: Native Women’s Association of Canada. Available at http://www.uregina.ca/resolve/PDFs/NWAC%20Report.pdf
• Yee, Jessica. 2009. Supporting Aboriginal Sex Workers Struggles. Available at: http://www.uwindsor.ca/womensstudies/system/files/SupportingAboriginalSexWorkersStruggles_JessicaYee.pdf

Suicide rate:

• Allard, Yvon E. et al. 2004. “Premature mortality in health regions with high Aboriginal populations”. In Health Reports, Vol. 15 No.1. Ottawa: Statistics Canada
• Canadian Mental Health Association. Date unknown. Aboriginal People/First Nations. Toronto: Canadian Mental Health Association. Available at http://www.ontario.cmha.ca/about_mental_health.asp?cID=23053
• Kirmayer, Laurence J. et al. 2007. “Suicide Among Aboriginal People in Canada”. In The Aboriginal Healing Foundation Research Series. Ottawa: Aboriginal Healing Foundation.
• McCaslin, Wanda D. and Yvonne Boyer. 2009. “First Nations Communities at Risk and in Crisis: Justice and Security”. Journal of Aboriginal Health, November. Available at http://www.naho.ca/jah/english/jah05_02/V5_I2_Communities_03.pdf

Underfunded Education:

• Amnesty International. 2004. Stolen Sisters: A Human Rights Response to Discrimination and Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada. Ottawa: Amnesty International. Available at http://www.amnesty.ca/stolensisters/amr2000304.pdf
• Shannen’s Dream. Date unknown. First Nations Education – Why do First Nations children on reserve get inequitable education and many get poor quality schools? Ottawa: First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada
• Shannen’s Dream. 2011. Shannen’s Dream.  Ottawa: First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada. Available at http://www.fncfcs.com/shannensdream/

Child Welfare:

• Bennett, M. Date unknown. First Nations Fact Sheet: A General Profile on First Nations Child Welfare in Canada. Ottawa: First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada. Available at: http://www.fncfcs.com/sites/default/files/docs/FirstNationsFS1.pdf.
• Blackstock, C. 2007. “Residential Schools: Did They Really Close or just Morph into Child Welfare?”. In Indigenous Law Journal, 6(1), 71-78.
• Blackstock, C. 2008. “Reconciliation Means Not Saying Sorry Twice: Lessons From Child Welfare in Canada”. In From Truth to Reconciliation: Transforming the Legacy of Residential Schools. Ottawa: Aboriginal Healing Foundation. pp 164-178.
• Blackstock, C. 2010. Is this Our Canada? Ottawa: Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CZ71KcWxN8.
• I am a Witness Campaign. Ottawa: First Nations Child and Families Caring Society of Canada. Available at http://www.fncaringsociety.com/fnwitness/importance
• Office of the Auditor General of Canada. 2008. “Chapter 4 First Nations Child and Family Services Program – Indian and Northern Affairs Canada”. In Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the House of Commons. Ottawa: Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada