Volume 2 ­ Issue 4 - 1998

Special Issue:

Pressing Issues of Inequality and American Indian Communities

Layne K. Stromwall, Stephanie Brzuzy, Polly Sharp, and Celina Andersen

Karen Gerdes, Maria Napoli, Clinton M. Pattea, and Elizabeth A. Segal

Sue Steiner, Diane McEachern, and Marlene Van Winkle

Donna E. Hurdle

Margaret A. Waller, Christina Risley-Curtiss, Sharon Murphy, Anne Medill, and Gloria Moore

"The Implications of 'Welfare Reform' for American Indian Families and Communities"

Layne K. Stromwall

Arizona State University

Stephanie Brzuzy

Arizona State University

Polly Sharp

Inter Tribal Council of Arizona

and

Celina Andersen

Arizona State University

Abstract: This paper focuses on the impact of the latest welfare reform initiatives through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant (TANF) and its modification through the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 on Arizona American Indian families, a group disproportionately affected by poverty and lack of economic opportunity. This paper also contrasts the impact of TANF on American Indian populations living off the reservation with its impact on American Indian families living on reservations. Potential effects on tribal communities are discussed.

"The Impact of Indian Gaming on Economic Development"

Karen Gerdes

Arizona State University

Maria Napoli

Arizona State University

Clinton M. Pattea

Fort McDowell Yavapai Reservation Tribal Council

and

Elizabeth A. Segal

Arizona State University

Abstract: Over the past ten years, gaming on Indian reservations has become a source of tremendous economic development. The impact of gaming has been to dramatically change the social, political and economic state of numerous American Indian communities. This article presents a policy analysis of the impact of Indian gaming nationally and highlights one community, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Reservation in central Arizona.

"Domestic Violence Among the Navajo: A Legacy of Colonization"

Sue Steiner

Arizona State University

Diane McEachern

Arizona State University

and

Marlene Van Winkle

Arizona State University

Abstract: Domestic violence is the leading cause of injuries to women ages 15 to 44. Navajo women have increasingly been plagued by domestic violence and in response, in 1993 the Navajo Nation enacted the Domestic Abuse Prevention Act. Years of colonization have left their mark on members of the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation exists within a climate of institutionalized violence, where some of their traditional values of equality and harmony have been broken down. This has led to an increase in family violence. Poverty and a lack of infrastructure and social services exacerbates the problems that Navajo women face when trying to leave violence in their homes. Using information gathered through experience as social workers and ethnographic interviews, this paper explores domestic violence among the Navajo in Northeastern Arizona, with a particular focus on the effects of colonization.

"The Health of Alaska Native Women: Significant Problems, Emerging Solutions"

Donna E. Hurdle

Arizona State University

Abstract: Alaska Native women have more severe health problems than other groups of American women. While limited access to health services affects this situation, an even larger issue is the lack of culturally sensitive health promotion programs. Recommendations include using a holistic framework, indigenous teaching methods (such as talking circles), and involving elders.

"Harnessing the Positive Power of Language: American Indian Women, a Case Example"

Margaret A. Waller

Arizona State University

Christina Risley-Curtiss

Arizona State University

Sharon Murphy

Arizona State University

Anne Medill

Northern Arizona University

and

Gloria Moore

Guiding Star Lodge

Abstract: Reflecting the biases that permeate the U. S. culture, professional accounts generally interpret stories of minority women from a deficit perspective. Problems such as substance abuse, domestic violence, and teenage pregnancy are often presented from an outsider's viewpoint and cast as intrapersonal phenomena independent of historical, political, and cultural context. This article suggests that stories and their implications change significantly depending on whether they are interpreted from a deficit or strengths perspective. Stories of American Indian Women, in their own voices, are discussed as a case example.