Violence Against American Indian Women: A Comparative Study Between Natives On And Off Tribal Lands

• In Event: Victimization and Vulnerable Populations

Abstract

For centuries American Indians have been victims of informal and formal policies that regulated, marginalized, and assimilated them. In academia, the problem, however, is that past research has often overlooked American Indians and labeled them as “other.” This is problematic given the high rates of violent crimes committed against Native women. However, neglect of the topic may not be the sole reason for the sparse research that includes American Indians—out of nearly 300 reviewed mainstream criminology journals, fewer than 10 examined American Indians in the same depth as other racial groups. It may also be due to the complex nature of working in Indian Country and overcoming differences between cultures, which include defining who is an American Indian. Taken together, the purpose of this study is to compare violence between American Indian women that reside on and off reservation land. Using data that reflects a large nationally representative sample of American Indians, this research extends the literature on victimization to American Indian women. Descriptive and multivariate regression analyses present patterns of victimization among American Indian women living both on and off reservations in the United States and suggest opportunities where the development of policy may be appropriate.

Author

• Cole Ward, Florida State University