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A review by fictionesque
Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog
1.0
Ohhh boy this is spicy but here we go.
Unfortunately this just wasn't for me. Or maybe it was, it certainly made me more aware of indigenous culture, however I can't deny that this entire book really reads like a cry for help from the author. She simultaneously condemns the 'white feminists' who criticize the patriarchal and repressive treatment of indigenous women by indigenous men but then she talks about how she's barely making it through, her husband (2 decades older than her, married her when she was 18) threatened her into marrying him when she had zero actual attraction to him, her body is worn down from having no access to birth control and feeling the 'need to procreate' to 'make up for' the genocide inflicted against her people. Why the hell is it HER responsibility to destroy her body and take on more children than she feels able to care for because of something awful which happened to her people that she didn't ask for? If she feels called to be a mother because of the genocide that is fine and virtuous but in this book she literally talks about how she had a mental breakdown because the burden of being a wife (having to do every chore for her husband, children, and her husband's 4738910274 guests, giving sex on demand), caring for 7 children, and everything else was just too much. No woman deserves that! She deserves to serve herself as well as other people!
The author also, even while condemning societies in which women are free and the "white" feminists who advocate for those societies, admits she feels very jealous of women born into them. She tries to mitigate doubts the reader has about her autonomy by talking about how in her mythology a woman was the first to be created, not a man as in Christianity. Etc etc. A repressive ideology is a repressive ideology is a repressive ideology and these anecdotes always felt defensive.
She states that she will worry about women's rights in indigenous communities once the men have their rights. Women should never have to be a sacrifice for the rights of man. A liberation movement which builds itself on the repression of another group is a failure of a liberation movement. She does talk about how indigenous rights groups are changing and starting to give women more voice and more autonomy, but overall after reading this I feel very sorry for the author and I am grateful that I was born to a "white feminist."
This book is a solemn reminder of what can happen to people if they give themselves completely over to ideology. I hope she can gain a sense of independence and a sense of self while maintaining a close attachment to her culture, which is clearly very important to her.
EDIT: Just found out she divorced her husband. Good for her! I hope she's able to finally put her feet up now and again.
Unfortunately this just wasn't for me. Or maybe it was, it certainly made me more aware of indigenous culture, however I can't deny that this entire book really reads like a cry for help from the author. She simultaneously condemns the 'white feminists' who criticize the patriarchal and repressive treatment of indigenous women by indigenous men but then she talks about how she's barely making it through, her husband (2 decades older than her, married her when she was 18) threatened her into marrying him when she had zero actual attraction to him, her body is worn down from having no access to birth control and feeling the 'need to procreate' to 'make up for' the genocide inflicted against her people. Why the hell is it HER responsibility to destroy her body and take on more children than she feels able to care for because of something awful which happened to her people that she didn't ask for? If she feels called to be a mother because of the genocide that is fine and virtuous but in this book she literally talks about how she had a mental breakdown because the burden of being a wife (having to do every chore for her husband, children, and her husband's 4738910274 guests, giving sex on demand), caring for 7 children, and everything else was just too much. No woman deserves that! She deserves to serve herself as well as other people!
The author also, even while condemning societies in which women are free and the "white" feminists who advocate for those societies, admits she feels very jealous of women born into them. She tries to mitigate doubts the reader has about her autonomy by talking about how in her mythology a woman was the first to be created, not a man as in Christianity. Etc etc. A repressive ideology is a repressive ideology is a repressive ideology and these anecdotes always felt defensive.
She states that she will worry about women's rights in indigenous communities once the men have their rights. Women should never have to be a sacrifice for the rights of man. A liberation movement which builds itself on the repression of another group is a failure of a liberation movement. She does talk about how indigenous rights groups are changing and starting to give women more voice and more autonomy, but overall after reading this I feel very sorry for the author and I am grateful that I was born to a "white feminist."
This book is a solemn reminder of what can happen to people if they give themselves completely over to ideology. I hope she can gain a sense of independence and a sense of self while maintaining a close attachment to her culture, which is clearly very important to her.
EDIT: Just found out she divorced her husband. Good for her! I hope she's able to finally put her feet up now and again.