Many people are aware that the U.S. was less than honest and peaceful in dealing with Indian people, but there is a sense that these things happened long ago and that the issues do not linger.


12


and Alaska Native women are more than two and a half times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than white women (in the United States). Furthermore, because of a complex legal history that has hamstrung Native reservations in their ability to prosecute non-Native individuals, the prosecu- tion of perpetrators has been diffi cult. Deer also worked with tribal


governments on revising and improv- ing their laws and policies regarding domestic violence. “One tribe I particularly remember


is the Little River Bay Band of Odawa Indians in Michigan,” she says. “T ey completely revised their statutory response to domestic violence and have adopted a very progressive, victim-centered code.” In 2006 Deer was hit hard by adver-


sity. She was diagnosed as being bipolar and as having breast cancer. “I went through six months of chemo-


therapy and seven surgeries,” she says. Despite this, she kept working. “I had a bed desk and used my


laptop,” she says. “T e job required a lot of travel, so I began to consider other possible career options. I was working in the St. Paul offi ce when I got sick, and I thought I could do something part-time as a teacher. T en this full-time opportunity came


up coincidentally.” T e job was with William


Mitchell College of Law, where she is now an assistant professor teach- ing Tribal, Federal Indian, and Constitutional Law; Legal Writing and Representation; and Criminal Procedure. Deer also continues to work for the TPLI as a Victim Advocacy Legal Specialist in its St. Paul offi ce. She also does consultant work for the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Indian Health Service (IHS). She lectures law enforcement pro-


fessionals on the proper responses to crime on Native lands. “T e IHS pro- vides the bulk of training for federal law enforcement on how to respond to violent crime in Indian country.” T e avid reader as a child has


become a prolifi c writer. Sharing Our Stories of Survival: Native Women Surviving Violence is a book she edited. “It was written by Native women and


poets. T ere wasn’t enough literature out there to get people educated about this.” Another major work is her schol-


arly treatise: Relocation Revisited: Sex Traffi cking of Native Women in the United States, published last year in the William Mitchell College of Law Review, traces the history from the


DIVERSITY & THE BAR® SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011


colonial period to the present day of the violence and sexual abuse of Native women. “I think that mainstream


American society has been reluctant to acknowledge the ongoing impact of historical actions,” she says. “It seems many people are aware that the United States was less than honest and peaceful in dealing with Indian people, but there is a sense that these things happened long ago—and that the issues do not linger. Violent crime is one example of how colonization is ongoing—for many Native people, it isn’t ‘over’—even if the mainstream history textbooks suggest that it is.” Most recently, Deer testifi ed on


behalf of Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) and AIUSA’s Native American and Alaska Native Advisory Council before the Senate Committee on Indian Aff airs Oversight Hearing on “Native Women: Protecting, Shielding, and Safeguarding Our Sisters, Mothers, and Daughters.” She described the problem of sexual violence and abuse against Native women and the diffi culty in prosecuting off enders. “While recent steps have been


made to begin to address some of the issues that American Indian and Alaska Native populations face in the United States,” she said, during her testimony, referring to the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010, “it will take more than one piece of legislation to comprehensively address the impact of this signifi cant historical legacy of discrimination and abuse.” Deer is committed to the fi ght for


the rights of women and Native women in particular. She enjoys both her work as an academic and activist. “I’m very lucky to be in a career


that’s so fulfi lling,” she says. “Some people search their entire life to match their passions and their career. I’m very fortunate to be in a career where I’m making a diff erence.” D&B


Tom Calarco is a freelance writer based in Altamonte Springs, Fla.


MCCA.COM


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