Colonial Violence Against Indigenous Women

Overview

• Colonial violence has had severe impacts on Indigenous women, particularly through historical institutions like residential schools.

• These institutions enforced strict gender roles and controlled the lives and bodies of Indigenous women.

Gender Indoctrination in Residential Schools

• Indigenous girls faced shaming and rigid constraints regarding their bodies and gender roles (TRC 2015b).

• Example: Lena McKay described extreme disciplinary measures at Breynat Hall, where girls were punished for their mannerisms and appearance.

• Relationships between boys and girls were prohibited, reinforcing a culture of shame and control.

Arranged Marriages and State Control

• Officials often arranged marriages for older residential school students to maintain colonial influences.

• From the 1890s-1930s, regulations were enforced to prevent Indigenous women from marrying non-status individuals without government approval (TRC 2015a).

Indian Act and Gendered Violence

Definition and Control

• Canada's definition of "Indian" status was established in the mid-1800s, entrenching state power over Indigenous identity.

• Status is required for treaty rights; non-status individuals could not transmit status to descendants (CAP 2012).

Legislative Discrimination

• Laws penalized Indigenous women marrying non-Indigenous men, further marginalizing them.

• The 1876 Indian Act enforced patrilineal inheritance, restricting women's rights significantly.

• The introduction of rules like the "double mother" rule promoted loss of status, particularly for children born to Indigenous women post-1951 (CAP 2012).

Legal Reforms and Discriminatory Outcomes

• Attempts by Indigenous women to challenge discriminatory laws in the 1970s were often dismissed by the Supreme Court favoring existing definitions of "Indian" (Attorney General of Canada v. Lavell 1974).

• The Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act (1985) restored some status but was criticized for instituting a tiered system of status definitions (6(1) and 6(2)).

• Critics highlighted Bill C-31's role in creating ongoing discrimination and predicted declining Indigenous status transmission over generations.

• Bill C-3 (2010) and Bill S-3 (2017) aimed to mitigate gender discrimination but left many loopholes, affecting Indigenous women's rights and access.

Intersectional Violence: An Ongoing Legacy

Socio-Economic Marginalization

• Indigenous women face multiple layers of oppression: racial stereotypes, economic disadvantage, and ongoing impacts from historical trauma (Status of Women Canada 2014).

• They are three times more likely to experience violence compared to non-Indigenous women.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW)

• Indigenous women make up a disproportionate percentage of missing and murdered women in Canada.

• Advocacy for greater attention to violence against Indigenous women has emerged, leading to governmental commissions that face criticism for ineffectiveness.

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

• Indigenous women's experiences of IPV are exacerbated by colonial legacies, including economic dependency due to lack of status.

• Community justice systems have shown bias favoring male partners in cases of IPV, and leadership often minimizes these issues.

• Legal frameworks continue to penalize Indigenous women unfairly in cases of IPV-related violence.

Colonialism and Child Welfare

Systematic Removal of Indigenous Children

• The historical removal of Indigenous children reflects colonial ideologies of 'bad mothers.'

• Indigenous mothers face intense scrutiny and blame, with their socio-economic status often used as justification for child apprehension.

• The “Sixties Scoop” led to thousands of Indigenous children being placed in non-Indigenous homes, disrupting familial and cultural ties.

The Current State of Indigenous Child Welfare

• Statistics show a troubling prevalence of Indigenous children in foster care, more than during the era of residential schools.

• Structural discrimination contributes to the continued removal of Indigenous children, limiting available support systems.

Implications for Women's Health

• Colonial violence is deeply intertwined with health outcomes for Indigenous women, contributing to adverse health indicators and general well-being (Czyzewski 2011).

• This perspective reveals the long-term effects of colonialism as a determinant of health for Indigenous populations.