Rape on the Reservation

“Rape on the Reservation” is one of the most shocking things I’ve seen recently. It exposes the corruption on Native American Reservations. Alcohol and drug abuse, rape, assault, and crime are uncomfortably common. Several women gave testimonies on their experience with rape and assault on the reservation. One woman was battered and raped and tried to press charges on the predator but ended up dropping the charges because she was brutally targeted by his friends and family. Another woman told a story of her daughter’s rape and murder in an abandoned house on the reservation. There was also a group of male teenagers who expressed the normalcy of battering women on reservations. He even said that he thought it was necessary to maintain his position as the head of the house. He was taught by his father to “be a man” and “be the boss” and victimizing women falls under those directions in his circumstances. Personally, I was shocked by this documentary. It is truly uncomfortable to accept and admit that such horrible things happen in the United States and are constantly ignored by the federal government. I thought it was interesting that traditionally, women are greatly respected in Native American cultures and it would be shunned to hit a woman. However, I can understand how being forced onto a reservation by means of the Trail of Tears might tarnish a culture of people. I think that the anger felt by the original Native Americans who were forced onto reservations was passed down through generations. That anger is numbed by drugs, alcohol, and I think that maybe the only way men feel in control of their lives is through oppressing women. I have always heard about alcoholism and gambling as a problem on Native American reservations but I did not realize the extent of the issues. It is so easy to overlook the issues that are deeply rooted in the United States, and it may be hard recognize and take action somehow against this severe oppression but it needs to be