Sharing Our Stories of Survival is a comprehensive treatment of the socio-legal issues that arise in the context of violence against native women—written by social scientists, writers, poets, and survivors of violence.

A general introduction to the social and legal issues involved in acts of violence against Native women, this book's contributors are lawyers, social workers, social scientists, writers, poets, and victims. In the U.S. Native women are more likely than women from any other group to suffer violence, from rape and battery to more subtle forms of abuse, and Sharing Our Stories of Survival explores the causes and consequences of such behavior. The stories and case-studies presented here are often painful and raw, and the statistics are overwhelmingly grim; but a countervailing theme also runs through this extremely informative volume: Many of the women who appear in these pages are survivors, often strengthened by their travails, and the violence examined here is human violence, meaning that it can be changed, if only with much effort and education. The first step is to lay out the truth for all to see, and that is the purpose accomplished by this book.

Chapter 1 Beloved Women: Life Givers, Caretakers, Teachers of Future Generations 2 Sexual Violence: An Introduction to the Social and Legal Issues for Native Women 3 Domestic Violence: An Introduction to the Social and Legal Issues for Native Women 4 Special Issues Facing Alaska Native Women Survivors of Violence 5 Overview of Issues Facing Native Women Who Are Survivors of Violence in Urban Communities 6 From a Woman Who Experienced Violence 7 Walking in the Darkness, Then Finding the Light 8 Violence Across the Lifecycle 9 Prisoner W-20170/Other 10 Living in Fear 11 Introduction to Advocacy for Native Women Who Have Been Raped 12 The Role of Advocates in the Tribal Legal System: Context is Everything 13 Overview of Sexual Violence Perpetrated by Purported Indian Medicine Men 14 Jurisdiction and Violence Against Native Women 15 Representing Native American Victims in Protection Order Hearings 16 Using Full Faith and Credit to Protect Native American Survivors of Domestic Violence, Stalking, and Sexual Assault 17 Divorce, Child Custody, and Support Issues in Tribal Courts 18 The Indian Child Welfare Act and Violence Against Women 19 The Role of probation in Providing Safety for Native Women
Chapter 20 Twenty-two poems by Native poets