and confirmed they did not have jurisdiction. I was alone and terrified for my safety.
– Diane Millich (Southern Ute) .................................
At the Yale reading of Sliver, the Hon.
William A. Fletcher, a federal judge with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, explained in an introduction that, “this play is about part of the damage caused by Oliphant…because it proved virtually im- possible to protect Native women against do- mestic violence.” While the re-authorization of VAWA in 2013 gave partial restoration of tribal jurisdiction, the title, Sliver of a Full Moon, illustrates that it was but a “sliver” to- wards the amount of restoration needed. In the blessing, Lynn Malerba, Lifetime
Chief of the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut, said, “It is not a Native value to abuse wom- en…. It is a Native tradition to use our voices and tell our stories.” She continued, “you will hear such an oral history told in the voices of women who have shown so much cour- age, not only in sharing their voices but in their relentless pursuit of justice for all Native women. I stand in awe of them.” Said Malerba, “the efforts of these wom-
en truly have changed hearts, minds and legislation.”
.................................
On October 25, 2008, I was beaten and choked. I remember this date because it was three hours before a tribal council meeting. I attended that council meeting with finger and handprints on my neck from being choked. At the council meet- ing, I kept my head down with my hair pulled forward to try and keep the marks from being seen. It was after that meeting I had a moment of change, and I realized that it had to stop. I had to get out of this cycle of abuse. Soon after, I went to my tribal domestic violence program and sought help… Violence against women is not a traditional value for my tribe. It has never been acceptable. Yet, domestic abuse and vio- lence have diluted our sense of well-being and is counter to our traditional values and beliefs of community love and support. – Cherrah Giles (Muscogee)
................................. Sliver combines the testimonies of domes-
tic violence survivors with re-enactments of the discussions between Native activists and politicians to reform the law. The play has been performed nine times and has been re- written nine times to reflect the current state of the law. The play came about through the expertise of Mary Kathryn Nagle (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) who is both a practicing
lawyer and a playwright. She studied theatre at Georgetown University and then matriculated at the Tulane Law School where she graduated summa cum laude. Nagle has written numer- ous plays including Diamonds…Are a Boy’s Best Friend, Fairly Traceable, Manahatta, Miss Lead and Welcome to Chalmette. Nagle wrote Sliver after having dinner with
attorneys Wilson Pipestem (Otoe-Missouria), who was directly involved in the strategy and advocacy of the VAWA legislation, and Brenda Toineeta Pipestem (Eastern Band of Chero- kee), an Appellate Tribal Court Judge; their dinner was interrupted constantly by phone calls about VAWA and Native women. The Pipestems knew that support for tribal inclu- sion in the bill required that non-Native peo- ple understand both the humanity of the issue and the jurisdictional issues in federal Indian law. Brenda, knowing Nagle was a playwright and Indian rights advocate, suggested that Nagle write a play about the topic. Nagle began writing Sliver in April 2013,
and in June 2013 Sliver was performed for the first time in Albuquerque, N.M., at the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center’s conference “Women Are Sacred.” Many of the women interviewed portrayed themselves onstage. Sliver was read at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C., in March 2014 and then performed at the UN Church Center in New York City that September during the UN World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. The play, as described by Nagle, is “con-
stantly evolving.” Besides adjustments to the script, each cast differs as well. The parts are portrayed by the survivors themselves, com- munity members and/or trained actors. Lisa Brunner (Anishinaabe) has read at six
performances. She is an enrolled member of the White Earth Ojibwe Nation of Minnesota and is a program specialist with the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center. She has worked with tribal domestic violence and sexual assault issues since 1998. Brunner is the executive director of Sacred Spirits/First Nations Coalition which is dedicated to elimi- nating domestic violence, dating violence and sexual assault in the White Earth area. The cause is very personal to her. As a child, Brun- ner witnessed her mother being abused by her stepfather and then was sexually assaulted herself. She says, “VAWA is a public health cri- sis and has been for a long time.” Brunner became involved in Sliver by
telling her story to Nagle and Pipestem. She appreciates that Nagle has created a work that
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 33
“ I CALLED THE SOUTH- ERN UTE TRIBAL POLICE, BUT THE LAW PREVENTED THEM FROM ARRESTING AND PROSECUTING MY HUSBAND…I CALLED SO MANY TIMES, BUT OVER THE MONTHS NOT A SINGLE AR- REST WAS MADE. ON ONE OCCASION AFTER A BEATING MY EX-HUSBAND CALLED THE COUNTY SHERIFF HIMSELF TO SHOW ME THAT NO ONE COULD STOP HIM. HE WAS RIGHT; TWO DEPU- TIES CAME AND CON- FIRMED THEY DID NOT HAVE JURISDICTION. I WAS ALONE AND TERRIFIED FOR MY SAFETY.”
– DIANE MILLICH (SOUTHERN UTE)
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