communities in Papua New Guinea and Zambia. The Toronto-based organization was started in 1991 as an effort to get men and boys involved in ending violence against women, Minerson said. The group asks men to wear white ribbons as a pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls. The effort has spread to more than 60 countries around the world. Minerson said the organization was founded after a 1989 tragedy in Montreal where a man murdered a group of 14 women because he blamed them for what was wrong in his life. Men in the community said they decided they had to do something to protect women, Minerson said. “They said violence against women can’t be just a woman’s issue,” he said. White Ribbon will be working with Barrick and Western Shoshone programs and other area non-profits for three years, said Suhail Abualsameed, project coordinator for White Ribbon. “This is the best way to get people invested and engaged in our effort and tell them what were doing,” he said. “Then from that we can design different area programs.” The keynote speaker for Wednesday was Gene Redhail of Oneida, Wisc.
Redhail said he works with Native men who have been convicted of domestic violence. “I try to engage the men in ending violence against women,” he said. He said Native Americans make up 2 percent of the population but a greater percentage of Native women are victims of domestic violence. A 2004 Department of Justice report estimated American Indian women suffer domestic violence and physical assault at as much as a 50 percent higher rate than the next most victimized demographic. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Native Americans are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual assault crimes compared to all other races, and one in three Indian women reports having been raped during her lifetime. However, Redhail said violence against women is new to the Native culture. He said traditionally men were taught that women were sacred. “The only ones who are going to protect our children and our women is us men,” he said. He said violence against women was something Natives learned from the cavalry. He said the tactics abusers use are the same tactics used during coloniza-
Gene Redhail talks about ending domestic violence in the Native American community Oct. 23 during the Circle of Life - Native Wellness Conference at the Elko Colony Gymnasium. Redhail was the keynote presenter. Marianne Kobak McKown Mining Quarterly
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