Lissa Yellowbird-Chase knows first-hand about the violence and danger Native American women face.*
But she knows other things, too. In Canada,a 2016 report found that indigenous women are five times more likely to be victims of homicide than non-indigenous women. But in the United States, says Yellowbird-Chase, there are 1-2% more missing and murdered indigenous men than women.
Which is why the Sahnish Scouts of North Dakota, the non-profit group she founded and named with the Arikara word for “people,” talks about searching for "missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives."
Lissa Yellowbird-Chase joins us this morning in a wide-ranging conversation about the effects of living in a shame-based society, how being indigenous can make people vulnerable, the importance of non-native allies and how to start caring for one another again.
*"In the United States, violence against indigenous women has reached unprecedented levels on tribal lands and in Alaska Native villages. More than 4 in 5 American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence, and more than 1 in 2 have experienced sexual violence. ... Though available data is limited, the number of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Native women and the lack of a diligent and adequate federal response is extremely alarming to indigenous women, tribal governments, and communities. On some reservations, indigenous women are murdered at more than ten times the national average." ~ "Ending Violence Against Native Women," Indian Law Resource Center
More information about Sahnish Scouts of North Dakota is here. You can also email Lissa at sahnishscouts@gmail.com or call her at (701) 893-6841.
