Bakken Oil and Intimate Partner Violence: Findings Related to the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation

• In Event: Factors Influencing Interpersonal Violence and the Criminal Justice Response in Tribal Communities

Abstract

This presentation describes qualitative findings of a mixed-method study involving members of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara (MHA) Nation, located at the epicenter of the Bakken shale oil formation in North Dakota. The study explored the oil impact on intimate partner violence (IPV) and related issues. Themes that emerged include participants’ perceptions of: (1) the occurrence and characteristics of IPV in the oil patch; (2) new forms of drug abuse that intersect with problems related to IPV; (3) health and human service advocates’ and law enforcement’s frustrations, due to lack of adequate resources to address new and emerging needs; (4) jurisdictional issues that create problems with addressing crime; and, (5) changes in community members’ quality of life. While the data presented in this report are restricted to members of MHA Nation, many themes and patterns identified are consistent with findings from non-tribal communities in this study as well. However, cultural and sovereignty issues unique to the MHA nation were identified and will be discussed. The study was funded by the National Institute of Justice.

Authors

• Thomasine Heitkamp, University of North Dakota

• Twyla Baker-Demaray, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College

• Liz Legerski, University of North Dakota