Summary Of Not An Indian Tradition By Andrea Smith

Sexual violence is a sensitive topic for any and every woman. Whether it is sexual harassment, rape, or domestic violence, no woman wants to be taken advantage of by any man or even a woman. In the article, “Not an Indian Tradition. The Sexual Colonization of Native Peoples,” author Andrea Smith contrasts sexual violence and history from white woman to Native American women. Sexual violence differs for woman of color than white women alone. This has to do with the theory of intersectionality, which is the threats of discrimination when an individual’s identities overlap with other things such as race, gender, ethnicity, and so on. The demeaning of Native American’s worth is due to a white patriarchal society and intersectionality.

The author

Smith’s article states that in regards to the Iroquis women, they “had a council of their own..,”(Smith 71) and “women had an orator of their own (often of their own sex) to present and speak for them,” (Smith 71). They noticed that Native American women had an active role in government and were not fond of it. They did not want white colonial women to try and follow in the Native American women’s footsteps. The very idea of white women rebelling against them frightened them and they disapproved it. White colonial men wanted to continue to run both the government and society but only under their circumstances. Men in this era hated and disrespected women not only to keep them in place, but also because of the witch trials. Most of the which accusations pointed at women, so men could not trust women due to their fear of a women being unholy. Native American were raped and beaten by settlers and the settlers seen nothing of it because they were unholy, dirty, and unkempt. They believed that the Natives bodies were filled with sexual sin and that they “esteem it a virtue to lie, deceive, and steale as their master the divell teach them,” (Berkhofer 1978, 19). They

This also ties into racism and the prejudice feelings that people have towards Native women. Society has looked down upon Native Americans since settlers have stolen their land. Attacking a minority woman makes them regret their gender and their race. They wish that they were not a woman or that they were a different race. Being a different race in America is hard because you have to deal with all of the social injustices that come with your race. As a minority woman, you also deal with the repercussions of how you were born. Women have always looked at the glass ceiling and never have been able to reach the same level as success as a man can, regardless of how hard or long a woman works. For example, it is 2017 and women still have to deal with being paid less than a man who does the same job as her and has the same qualifications. Being a woman adds on to it and by being sexually abused, you wonder if it is your race or your gender. Native American women are not heathens and they are not as less of a woman than a white woman, black woman, or any