Surviving generations of ongoing genocide, colonisation, and racism have resulted in priorities for Indigenous women that may differ from those of mainstream feminism.
[2] The central role of the ancestral landbase, and current land rights and environmental struggles, connect Indigenous feminism to some aspects of ecofeminism.
White settlers often brought a new type of economic system from their European nation that included the idea of private property, ownership, and gendered labor, which was forced onto Indigenous communities.
"[9] In order to strip women of political power, colonizers forced regulatory systems onto Indigenous people, the Indian Act of Canada is one example of this.
[14] In the United States, the Office of Indian Affairs (OIA) launched the Save the Babies initiative.This campaign, which was a part of a broader effort during the Progressive Era to improve mother and baby health in the United States, advocated for hospital delivery as a way to reduce the high rates of infant death among Native Americans.
In order to eradicate Native health practices and weaken the power of elders and extended family networks, the program was a component of a broader assimilationist strategy.
Theobald contends that the effort is a pillar of federal Indian policy in the early 20th century, notwithstanding its inconsistent execution and frequent lack of funding.
And if we want to embrace essential elements of womanhood that have been problematic for Western feminists ... then we have to ensure that these concepts don't get stuck in literal or patriarchal interpretations.Many scholars and activists identify Indigenous feminism as relating to radical feminism since it often advocates for an upheaval of all systems of power that organize the subjugation of Indigenous women based on both male supremacy and racial difference.
Mainstream feminists usually assume that fighting oppression on the basis of sex or gender is the top (or even sole) priority, while indigeneity is of secondary importance.
[16] The perspective of Indigenous women is therefore shaped by their historical connection to their landbase, a legacy of dispossession, racism, and sexism, continuing their activism within at times matriarchal contexts, as well as negotiating sexual politics across and within non-white cultures.
White middle-class feminist women's relative privilege is tied to an often-unquestioned and unacknowledged legacy of benefiting from colonialism and the dispossession of Indigenous people.
According to Carrie Bourassa, the problem in addressing Indigenous feminist issues through this lens is that white mainstream feminism was itself infused with a narrative of colonialism.
"[27] Another criticism against mainstream feminism is presented by Cunningham:[23] They see that the dominant feminist paradigm is based on an unacknowledged model of centre and periphery.
In this model, Indigenous, African-descendent, and poor women occupy the periphery and must accept the ideas and conceptualization of feminism as defined by those at the centre.
This flawed assumption denies the diverse cultural, linguistic and social needs and visions of distinct groups of women.Indigenous Feminist scholars have resisted the co-optation and exploitation of their scholarship as another result of colonialism.
"Sisters In Spirit" are one group organizing the vigils, in honour of the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).
These vigils resulted in the Government of Canada launching a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in September 2016.
[32] While the progress of the inquiry was slowed and at times stifled by issues such as lack of clarity regarding testimony dates and limited staff and resources,[33] it eventually reached the conclusion that there is an ongoing genocide against Indigenous women in North America.
This oversight hearing was held by Chairman Ruben Gallego, and he invited multiple speakers to address the growing issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous women.
"[39] Their major themes of activism include sovereignty, the resurgence of nationhood, environmental protection, and resistance of violence against Indigenous women.
[40] This work is being done through making changes to The Indian Act of Canada, a piece of legislation that restricts Indigenous sovereignty, as well as advocating for environmental protection.
[42] Advocates for this change believe that Columbus has been subject to "adoration", despite many negative aspects to him, including "his arrogance, his poor administration of his colonial ventures and his blinkered conscience, which was untroubled by the enslavement of Native Peoples, even when doing so went against the wishes of his royal backers.
"[9] The book This Bridge Called My Back, Writings by Radical Women of Color makes this idea a reality, by publishing the honest and creative narratives about Native and Indigenous feminism, and contextualizing these pieces as academia.
For the indigenous women of the Americas, temperature increases of the oceans and the Caribbean sea have led to negative impacts on agriculture routines and practices.
When agricultural practices are affected, this can lead to food insecurity and a generational loss of knowledge due to not needing to pass down the information for survival.
This re-empowerment movement first seeks to acknowledge colonisation as a form of disempowerment, to then rebuild and revive Indigenous women's spiritual and cultural practices accompanied by healing.
[52] In Mexico, a movement different from mainstream, liberal feminism has had to be created in order to better represent Indigenous feminist women.
[54] Feminism in Mexico mainly focuses on making universal demands such as eliminating the wage gap between men and women and ending domestic violence.
[58] Olivera states that "Indigenous peasant women who became integrated as combatants or – in the words of Subcomandante Marcos – 'support networks' (bases de apoyo) accounted for one-third of the EZLN [or Zapatista] membership.
"[59] The Zapatista's goal is to eliminate race and gender segregation, breaking into a male and mestizo public space where their voices have been silenced.