Sexism has followed Mary throughout her life, from sexual violence to strict gender roles. While Mary generally respects Native American men for their determination in fighting for Native American civil rights, she notes that they can be cruel to their female counterparts. Casual sex was common among the group, with men often callously demanding sex from women.

Together they traveled across the U.S., drinking, doing drugs, and stealing food when they needed to. Alcohol abuse is common on reservations, as the inhabitants often struggle with poverty and feelings of hopelessness-not only are reservations under-resourced, but Native Americans also face racism and cultural erasure.Īt 17, Mary left home and started roaming with other Native American youths. The children were undernourished, overworked, and abused.Īfter quitting school as a teenager, Mary was sucked into a lifestyle of drinking and fighting. Mary’s grandmother, mother, sisters, and Mary herself were all forced to attend the same Catholic boarding school, where the students were forbidden to speak Lakota or practice their religious beliefs. government forced Native Americans to assimilate was by taking children from their families and enrolling them in Catholic missionary schools. To learn more about her heritage, Mary spoke with community elders. Because Mary’s mother and grandparents believed that Mary would be more successful if she assimilated to white society, they didn’t teach her the Lakota language, religion, or traditions. This is part of the government’s efforts to force Native Americans to assimilate. Mary counts herself lucky to have been raised by her loving grandparents-many Native American children are separated from their families by white social workers, which cuts them off from their culture.

Mary was mostly raised by her grandparents, as her father, Bill Moore, left Mary’s mother when she was pregnant with Mary. Mary commends the courage and resilience of Native Americans who have fought to maintain their traditions and their rights. government and white society strip away Native Americans’ cultures and force their communities into poverty. She says that being a Native American woman is not easy, and she describes how the government sterilized her sister, Barbara, and how her friend Annie Mae Aquash was murdered. Mary Crow Dog introduces herself as Mary Brave Bird, a Lakota woman.

Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog