Native American feminism

Native American Feminism or Native Feminism aims to define and establish the struggles of inter-sectional relationships between race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class and nations both in North America and in Canada for women.^[1] "In fact, how women identify themselves varies according to tribe, geography, and country of origin. In Canada, indigenous women call themselves 'First Nations' or 'aboriginal', while in the United States; often they identify themselves as 'Native American' or 'American Indian' ".^[2] Native feminism is a narrow branch of the more transnational Indigenous feminism which incorporates Indigenous perspectives and feminist theory and practice to create a more inclusive feminist practice for Indigenous people. It speaks to the need for self-determination and decolonization in Indigenous communities. The coined phrase "Feminist" or "Feminism" is something that scholars have been battling back and forth; Kate Shanley, a native feminist, believes that native women misunderstand “Feminism" and therefore do not want to associate with a white women’s movement.^[3] But "Feminism" has a special meaning to Indian women, including the idea of promoting the continuity of tradition, and consequently, pursuing the recognition of Tribal sovereignty.^[3][2] Tribal sovereignty should be central to the discussion of feminism, since it is truly a pivotal political concern in Indian Country.^[2] In order for Native Americans to survive culturally and materially, they must fight and struggle for tribal sovereignty and nationalism so that they can govern themselves following their own institutions and worldview.^[2] In order to accomplish this, Tribal sovereignty must be re-conceptualized from Native women's perspectives.^[2] As Crystal Ecohawk states: Sovereignty is an active, living process within this knot of human, material and spiritual relationships bound together by mutual responsibilities and obligations. From that knot of relationships is born our histories, our identity, the traditional ways in which we govern ourselves, our beliefs, our relationship to the land, and how we feed, clothe, house and take care of our families, communities and Nations.^[4][5]

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