Question

In this module, we read Sarah Deer’s monograph, The Beginning and End of Rape, in which she explores the historical and ongoing brutal effects of sexual violence on Native women. In your critical reflection, please address these three questions: 1. First explain why describing the rape of Native women as an “epidemic” is inaccurate. In other words, what about rape as a phenomenon warrants a different description?
2. Next discuss how we can consider the combination of federal laws and policies that govern Native communities a modern extension of U.S colonialism that diminishes tribal sovereignty. How do these laws and policies perpetuate sexual violence against Native Americans?
3. Finally, explore Federal versus Native responses to and legal proceedings for incidents of rape. What does Deer say about the specific ideologies, historical narratives, and types of methods to address rape that are
effective, ineffective, and that prioritize Native women’s well-being?

Answer 1

The reports by Amnesty International in 2007 reveals the horrifying number of rapes of indigenous women in America, urging that the statistics is national concern and deserves national attention. Abuse, rape and aggression against indigenous women are not just the result of a patriarchal sexual peversive act, but a product of the American colonialisation. Sarah Deer monologue examines the violence and bruatlity against the indigenous women in America, who suffer unimaginably more than any other ethnic women group. The burden of America's invasion and colonial history on the native land falls mainly on the women's shoulder. She talks about the growing incidents of rape and writes, " "National numbers are flat; they lack dimension and stifle future exploration" (15). " This is not an "epidemic" as the media or academicians puts forth, rather the rapes are direct result of colonial realities which is very much alive through the violence on the docile body of the indigenous women. When one speaks ofthe word epidemic, the mental prototype is usually of a short lived biological infection that usually short-lived.Therefore rape cannot be categorised in the same column 'epidemic'.Victim shaming and blaming are often used as a shield by the society to mute the victims. The Federal court and the policies that govern the Native communities are no effective either. For example, Deer writes about a women named Dana Deegan,who was a mother and a victim of sexual and psychologic abuse, took the life of her own infant under the shadows of her own trauma. Later, the judge confessed that the punishment(10 year sentence) that was given to Deegan (victim blaming and punishment) for the crime she was a victim of, was the most unfortunate decision error he has ever witnessed in his entire judiciary career.Deer acknowledges that there no perfect rape law to punish the rapists. However,she recommends certain laws that can tackle growing violence against the indigenous Indian women. Life time imprisonment, protection order for the victims,incarceration of the perpetrators, banishing the rapist from certain civic rights etc can be introduced to deal with the offender. America must be educated about tge American colonialsm on the Native land and its by-products like violence on the native women's body that it still carries till date.