Task force speaks out on domestic violence
by: Sarah Moses / Today staff
April 13, 2007

SYRACUSE, N.Y.

The Department of Justice has determined that American
Indian women experience violent victimization at a higher rate than any
other U.S. population, a statistic that has been used as a call to action
for several organizations to join forces to protect indigenous women.
Clan Star Inc., through partnerships with the National Congress of
American Indians and the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic
Violence Against Women, is working to restore the traditional values of
tribal culture to help hinder the devastating plague of domestic violence
and sexual assault on American Indian lands.
"Our end goal is to ensure that safety for Native women is realized,"
said Terri Henry, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation and the
principal director of Clan Star. "And how we can do that is to end
violence in our communities."
Clan Star works to restore the safety of American Indian women by
addressing domestic battering, sexual abuse, stalking and torture in
Indian country. The organization works with more than a dozen tribal
domestic violence and sexual assault groups and coalitions from throughout
Indian country.
Jacqueline Agtuca, director of public policy for Clan Star, and Henry
spoke to a group of students, staff and community members at the Syracuse
University College of Law on April 11. The directors of Clan Star spoke on
the topic of "Domestic Violence in Indian Country: How Sovereign Nations
Protect Indigenous Women."
Henry shared a story of the traditions of her community, the Cherokee in
North Carolina. She said that before contact with the Europeans, the
Cherokee community had traditional values and they protected their women.
"It was a matriarchal society and when married, the man took the clan of
the woman," she said. "And he would live with her and her family."
In this tradition, there weren't issues of domestic violence like there
are today because the woman's family was there to protect her if a
situation were to arise, Henry said.
According to Agtuca, the Justice Department has also determined that
more than 1 in 3 American Indian women will be raped in their lifetime.
She introduced the Syracuse University community to the story of murder
victim Victoria "Vicki" Eagleman, from the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe in
South Dakota. Eagleman was found dead in August 2006 after she had been
missing for more than a month.
Eagleman's death and the lack of support the tribe received from state
and federal departments angered the community, which banded together and
held a walk to speak out against domestic violence in Indian country. The
walkers urged the community to never forget the name "Vicki Eagleman."
Agtuca said that when fighting domestic violence and sexual abuse in
Indian country, it is important to remember that it is not just services
that are needed for victims: it is also extremely important to recognize
the need for improved legislation in the federal government.
"The greatest barrier, often, to a Native woman is the fact that the
laws that protect women off the reservation are not the same as the laws
that protect women on the reservation," Agtuca said.
In January 2006, Congress reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act
and included an unprecedented title that recognizes American Indian
women's unique circumstances. Clan Star calls the legislation a turning
point, but Agtuca said, "There is more work to be done."
"We have joined an alliance with national organizations to reform
federal legislation so that all women will be safe," she said.

For more information on Clan Star Inc. and VAWA, visit www.clanstar.org.
Copyright c. 1998 - 2007 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096414830

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]