With Halloween just around the corner, October usually brings a much-needed refresher on the prevalence of cultural appropriation within American culture. Discussions around why white people should not dress up as Pocahontas or a Native American Chief often highlight the relationship between Native Americans and white settlers that has ultimately left modern Native communities impoverished and marginalized. However, an important element of the cultural appropriation discussion lies not just in what a white girl in a sexy buckskin dress says about colonization. An equally appropriate discussion lies in what White Pocahontas says about the sexualization of Native American women.
Nicki Minaj, who has been outspoken about the appropriation of black culture, received much backlash for the above appropriative rendition of her Paper magazine cover, in which she substituted Pocahontas for herself.
Sexual violence within tribal communities was rare prior to the onslaught of colonization. Sarah Deer, a University of Kansas law professor and a member of the Muscogee-Creek tribe, notes that colonizers were baffled that punishments for rape were traditionally harsh in tribal communities, such as the Lakota. The arrival of white settlers changed everything for Native communities. As Bitch Media author Abaki Beck notes, “Sexual violence became a tool of colonization.”
Native American women have been subjected to sexual violence since the arrival of white settlers on the American continent. Today, Native American women are 2.5 times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than non-Native American women, and 34% of Native American women are rape victims. This is a continuation of historical patterns – 86% of Native American women who are sexually assaulted are assaulted by non-Native men.
Legislation like the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has offered Native American women some protection against sexual violence. The act grants tribal governments jurisdiction against non-Native men committing acts of domestic or sexual violence against women living on reservations. Critics of the law, however, point out that it doesn’t do enough for Native American women – in order for a non-Native man to be tried under VAWA, for example, the woman has to prove the existence of an intimate relationship with her perpetrator.
Considering the limited reach of VAWA, it is clear that there is much work to be done to end violence against Native American women in the United States. This underscores the importance of respecting Native American culture and understanding the history of sexual violence against Native American women. Consider the relationship between Native American women and sexual assault the next time you’re tempted to try on that “Pocahottie” costume. There is more than enough reason to place a costume that sexualizes Native American women back on the rack.
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