Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog - Book Report/Review Example

Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog: Some Gender Aspects in Case of Social Hostility 1 If we will be concentrated around and focused on gender problems, then it should be stated that Native American men throughout this book treated Native American women badly; however, it is clear that not all men treated women the same. In the sub-chapter we might ask a question why it was so, in other words, we will be interested in conditions and matters of the cause of ‘women victimization’ in the current text (p. 76, 111, 154, 189). Firstly, Sioux traditions were exemplified here in such a way: drinking males behaved themselves truly rude because they were accustomed that warriors could behave from different positions of power, according to their reasoning of things, and females must let them behave so. So, this rude attitude is connected to the cult of warriors in Sioux tribes, also hunting, riding, fighting etcetera. Secondly, there was harsh situation with alcohol and drugs among Lakota society that is why some males behaved themselves extraordinarily fighting with their own wives (p. 21, 25, 34) like it happened in Mary’s own family. Also, males were without jobs almost, so they could accept such deviant pattern of behavior, to get tired of life fighting their own wives being out of consciousness in a deep over-drinking state. Thirdly, Native Americans were living in their reservations without electricity and running water, without their native schools and gardens for children. According to Mary, here, in reservation, you could afford nothing to yourself, and combining with white hostility around the reservation these factors become essential for understanding why Indians were drinking and expressing home hostility toward their own wives and females at all. Fourthly, Reservation as closed, reserved pattern of things was so awful that there were no other variants instead of home hostility and drinking a lot. Sioux people were closed and reserved in a small piece of territory, without any possibility for surviving. Only with a LAKOTA WOMAN organizational help of AIM they tried to give up, and it was Wounded Knee and Washington D.C. march that happened instead of slowly made degradation. Fifthly, legislation system of US and regional legislation of Dakota was totally wrong because of million cases that were, according to Mary Crow Dog (p. 15, 18, 26, 32). It was unequal and full of sense of prejudice. ‘White male’ as a model of normative behavior was the only model for reasoning things, not ‘half-blooded,’ or ‘red-skinned,’ or ‘Lakota female.’ Sixthly, traditional values and warrior position in the contemporary society of Dakota were declined, and even extended family as a defensive institute serving for ages for Lakota women protectionism was destroyed by ‘white men;’ ultimately, it is broadly accepted that nuclear family in a hostile surroundings and conditions of ‘institutionized’ hostility had much less power to change this situation of home-made offences concerning Lakota women that were victimized even in the book somewhere (p. 78, 110). 2 In this chapter we will explain Mary’s troubled relationship with alcohol and drugs, as well as why she and other people on the reservation drink; also, it will be discussed what cured her. In a few words, alcohol and drugs were needed for Mary in times of Pine Ringe reservation, after Catholic boarding school, as ways of compensation for hostility and racial injustice. So, she and other common people on the reservation drank because they were growing up in poverty, without running water and electricity, without jobs and ways of compensation. In other words, people drank because they had not another opportunities for their personal realizations in the society, which was predominantly white and racially unjustly. Therefore, in terms of Native Indians warrior memory, males from the reservation believed that only with an assistance of strong drinks they would find a glorious death; sometimes and very often indeed, Native Indian males felt themselves like compensating in LAKOTA WOMAN terms of their strict home conversations with their own females, and Native Indian females felt themselves like slaves in their own families when males came home being over-drunk after difficult jobs. From the other side, Mary Crow Dog was cured by AIM, bringing new freedom and promises for the Native Indians. But, from the other perspective, alcohol and drugs were not the only way for compensating, and Mary Crow Dog was also shoplifting during her after-Catholic boarding school period. Many Indians found their addictive way in alcohol and drugs, but author stated that that was a problem bringing up by ‘white man.’ (p. 143) According to these statements, only AIM was powerful enough to give some new opportunities for the Native Indians. For such active people, alcohol and drugs were like weak ways, and they chose battles and struggle instead of passive lifestyle; that is why Wounded Knee, 1973, must be seen as a triumph over some passive strategies, like alcohol and drugs. Ultimately, national memory of Sioux warriors, males as well as females, overcome such compensating strategies. Additionally, we must emphasize that AIM was like a rescuing way for those Indians without hope and glory who were addicted to alcohol and drugs; as in the previous century, Native Indians chose military rebellion against social oppression by ‘whitenazed’ powers and state institutes and racial injustice. 3 Focusing on the effect of the American Indian Movement on Mary and other Indian people and how did non-AIM Indians on the Pine Ridge reservation view AIM, we should state that AIM was extremely important concerning collective representation of national idea of Native Indians across the US, especially states like South and North Dakota. We can add that in time of 1960s, when civil rights movement was active in communities of Black people and Latinos, American Indian Movement, led by Leonard Crow Dog, inspired individual and massive protests, like that march in the Washington D.C., 1972, and Wounded Knee, 1973. LAKOTA WOMAN Furthermore, while Mary was drinking and doing drugs, as well as shoplifting with her Native Americans females, AIM represented to them a strong idea of collective unity, not on the level of separate tribes, but on the national level of civil rights activity. Also, AIM was against not only interests of white racist powers of state but also it stood against tribal elites which were ‘whitenized.’ AIM showed to all members that Native Indians were likely to be united, struggling altogether against white racism, nationals and state oppression, social, national, and racial inequality etcetera. Moreover, main difference between these movements for civil rights among Black people, Latinos, and Native Indians was that in 1960s Black people and Latinos, according to Mary Crow Dog, were struggling for being ‘in’ the ‘whitenized’ system, whereas Native Indians were fighting for being ‘out’ of these relationships (p. 89). From the other point of view, AIM was very good in terms of members of national elites, like Leonard Crow Dog, members of AIM, who was supported by other common Sioux people. This AIM, whose process was finished at Wounded Knee, 1973, was for the common Native Indians like being out of reservations, out of injustice and closed space without electricity and running water, with different but straightened males’ and females’ functions and roles. That is why, at Wounded Knee, 1973, after Washington D.C. attack, Lakota males were like brave warriors in times of their ancient ancestors, and females were brave equally with males, for example, Mary Crow Dog gave birth to her child in time of battle (p. 180). Accordingly, non-AIM Indians on the Pine Ridge reservation viewed AIM as strong, dangerous, and awfully nationalistic movement with a permanent possibility for being stronger as nationalistic organization for Native Indians. 4 In this sub-chapter, we will discuss how the American justice system treated Indians such as Leonard Crow Dog and others. It must be stated that ‘half-blood’ people, like Mary Crow LAKOTA WOMAN Dog, (p.27) held different position in Sioux society, than Leonard, who was professional healer and totally non-white person. But, even such ‘full-blooded’ persons were nothing as for the US legislation, especially in South Dakota. Across this autobiography pages Indians were killed, raped, sterilized, fired, humiliated, oppressed, etcetera (p. 15, 21, 34, 56, 87, 89, 93), but white men were given nothing for these hard crimes, because system of powers was on their side, side of crime committers. That’s a shame and in all her book this thesis was so brightly illustrated by unpredictable and almost incredible examples of the author. From the other side, when AIM came into action, such deceitful state of things was overcome; however, AIM was created by such state of things in the US legislative system. Full of racial prejudice, it was clear for the members of AIM that only in a group and within comparatively high level of solidarity it will be possible to change the system which treated Indians in an awful manner. Therefore, there were so many examples even in Mary’s case: nuns’ attitude, teacher’s attitude, legislator’ state of mind, relationships with Sioux chief in Pine Ringe reservation, and all these causes with Mary’s relatives (p. 12, 23, 26, 34, 37, 48, 50). Additionally, there was a battle of systems: from one side, there were Indians, united AIM, with their own traditions, memory, history, and religion, also language, and ‘natural mind,’ against ‘whitenazed’ legislation, political beliefs, political religion, and racial injustice and prejudice. Ultimately, Wounded Knee showed that way of ancestors was not fully forgotten among Sioux. 5 In this sub-chapter, we will prove why traditional ceremonies were extremely important to Mary and other activist young Indians. Primarily, there were ghost and sun dances that were vital in terms of ancestors’ memory of Sioux, according to Leonard Crow Dog (p. 158, 196). However, there could be different interpretations of meaning and procedures of these dances. LAKOTA WOMAN Firstly, sun dance may be regarded as a dancing practice of resurrection, connecting to some primeval beliefs of overall life that goes inside and outside one big circle (p. 183). Secondly, ghost dance is an activity dedicated to the cult of Sioux ancestors, like Leonard Crow Dog, for example (p. 167). In the ghost dance good and bad meanings concerning ancestors were ‘eternalized,’ and all living creatures become to be connected with world of dead Sioux warriors, males and females, giving too much power to dancers. The only question lies in respectful attitude toward these half-dead half-alive people. Both with Sioux language, traditional culture, crafts, costumes, beliefs, attitudes, so on, traditional ceremonies were important to several AIM members, because for them it was like primeval layer of culture, consciousness, and understanding of things that were and will be, comparing to one big circle of worldwide processes, inner and outer, external and internal. For Sioux activists of AIM (p. 132), traditional ceremonies were like matrix on which some truly religious beliefs could be put on and restored. So, traditional beliefs and ceremonies for the Western Sioux people, Lakota, were perceived as a matrix of and for restoration. Except sun dance and ghost dance, there were also ceremonies of peyote smoking, which was among the most vital that were restored by Leonard Crow Dog. Instead of drinking whiskey and other types of alcohol, instead of drugs and shoplifting, these ceremonies were powerful weapon of transformation for young activists of AIM. Additionally, with this strong meaning for the traditional culture of Sioux people and their ceremonies could be connected strong wish and desire of some activists to find the things in tombs, instead of letting to excavate the tombs for white archeologists and anthropologists (p. 143). Therefore, traditional ceremonies could be viewed as a strong instrument of transforming mental things in the society and powerful weapon of destroying racial prejudice and national hostility toward Lacota and other Native Americans. LAKOTA WOMAN 6 Finally, it is necessary for us in order to come to en end of the paper to give some overall contrast and comparison explanations and implications concerning The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley; while analyzing and giving the arguments, we will be focused primarily on the philosophy (including religion) and aims of these two civil rights activists stating how they are different and similar in goals and means. Initially, it was stated by Mary Snow Dog that, according to her reasoning of the civil rights context in America of the sixties, Black activists, like Malcolm X, were struggling for being inside the white social structure, whereas Lacota and other tribes within AIM were fighting for being outside these racist patterns. Furthermore, from the other hand, their methods were the same. According to Haley, black activists within ‘Black Panteras’ (p. 122, 131, 140) were also going to siege some Washington buildings of governmental importance, but they changed their minds thinking what would be afterwards. Finally, these activists of Black movement chose cultural innovations in society, music and literature instead of open aggression, presumably, because of not being enclosed in the reservations. Ultimately, Malcolm X was Protestant, not likely to sun and ghost animism of ‘naturalized’ Sioux people (p. 15, 17, 19). Read More