Deborah Miranda's Bad Indians: Lecture Notes

Course Overview

• Course Title: GSST/CPLT 022B (W26)

• Instructor: T. Ho

• Dates of Lectures: Week of January 28, 2026

Lecture 1: Deborah Miranda's "Bad Indians"

Themes and Major Topics

• Focus on the book "Bad Indians" by Deborah Miranda.

  • Specific section titled "The Genealogy of Violence, Part 1."

• Exploration of violence associated with colonization, particularly towards Native Americans.

• Discussion of themes in Miranda's writing regarding the impacts of missionization between 1770-1836.

Mission Glossary

• Key Terms and Definitions:

  • adobe bricks: Building material made from sun-dried earth and straw.

  • bells: Instrument used in mission and church settings.

  • discipline: The practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior.

  • flogging: A form of punishment wherein a person is beaten with a whip or stick.

  • cat-o'-nine tails: A type of whip with nine knotted cords used for punishment.

  • corma: Possibly referring to specific practices or items used in missions.

  • cudgel: A short, thick stick used as a weapon.

  • mission: A religious organization or location focused on converting individuals to a particular faith, often through the establishment of schools and churches.

  • neofito (neophyte): A person who is new to a particular religion or belief.

Personal Narratives and Shared Experiences

A Few Corrections to My Daughter’s Coloring Book

• Discussed epistolary form in “Dear Vicenta”:

  • Serves to convey shared experiences of sexual violence and colonization.

  • Miranda states: “That’s how I talk about what happened to me as a kid.”

  • Expresses the impact of violence against Native women:

  • “Thirty-four percent of us are raped; one in three! And ninety percent of the rapists are non-Indian.”

  • Addresses the term "nunnery" as a translation for "monjerio."

Mission Architecture: The Monjerio

• Definition and Significance of the Monjerio:

  • A housing structure for young Indian girls past the age of eleven but not yet married.

  • Functioned as a dormitory where girls were taught domestic skills, including cooking, sewing, and weaving.

  • Described as having a prison-like setup with limited access to the outside world.

  • Testimonies describe it as a means for missionaries to exert control over sexual activity among young women.

• Punta de Santa Barbara (account from 1821):

  • Description depicts the monjerio as closely resembling a prison, emphasizing the control exerted by the missionaries over the Indian women's activities and movements.

Social Implications of Mission Architecture

• Sexual Confinement: The Monjerio enforced regulations and isolation, significantly impacting young women's lives within the mission system.

• Discussion of how contributions to the architecture were driven by an aim to control and manipulate sexuality, resulting in long-lasting effects on community structures and dynamics.

Statistics and Realities of Violence against Indigenous Women

• 2020 National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S):

  • Emphasizes the urgency of addressing the crisis of violence and disappearance among Native women.

  • In 2016, 5,712 incidents of missing and murdered Native American and Alaska Native women were reported.

  • Only 116 cases were officially logged in the DOJ database, illustrating severe inconsistencies in tracking and prosecution.

  • Between 2005-2009, 67% of Native matters involving sexual abuse were declined for prosecution by U.S. attorneys.

  • 96% of sexual violence against Native women on some reservations was committed by non-Natives, highlighting the external threat.

Personal Accounts of Sexual Violence and Survival

• Narratives from Miranda:

  • Miranda quotes women discussing their experiences of sexual violence: “It happened to me way before fourth grade… I didn’t tell for years and years.”

• Shared stories illustrate the importance of storytelling in combating trauma and preserving histories.

  • Example: Isabel Meadows, who contributes to archiving stories of indigenous experiences, including those of Vicenta Gutierrez.

Gender and Sexual Identity in Native Cultures

Discussion of Gender Non-Conformity

• Terms Used in 19th Century: Notable terms included hermaphrodite, sodomite, berdache, and catamite, which illustrate the complexity of gender in Native communities.

• Miranda's Concept of Gendercide:

  • Defined as “an attack on a group based on their gender/sex,” specifically addressing violence targeted at particular genders as a result of colonial violence.

  • Explores the loss of identity and belonging as a result of socio-cultural and colonial impositions.

Cultural Context of the Concept of "Joto"

• Yosimar Reyes’s View on Joto:

  • Reclamation of the term; originally a slur, now used with love and compassion among some communities.

• Description of the perspectives on individuals with fluid gender identities, with ties to cultural and historical contexts within indigenous and colonial narratives.

Third Genders in Native Languages

• Recognition of gender fluidity in Native cultures,

  • Examples from various tribes include:

  • Arapahos: hoxuxunó

  • Blackfoot: ake:śkassi

  • Navajo/Dine: nadleehi

  • Kiowas: mihdeke

Genealogy of Violence, Part II

• Miranda reflects on the legacy of violence passed down through generations from missionary practices, woven into cultural and familial inheritance.

  • Examines personal narratives related to fatherhood and inherited abusive relationships.

Assignments and Discussion Questions for Upcoming Week

1. Identify who or what Deborah Miranda refers to as the "ancestors" of violence in her chart "The Genealogy of Violence, Part I."

2. Transform sentences from passive to active voice regarding violence and assertions related to Indigenous peoples.

3. Discuss key characteristics of the term "Chicano" as noted by Anzaldua, alongside learnings from class materials.