Native Women - Education's the answer to poverty, low self-esteem

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Poverty creates low self-esteem and causes a volcano of unmet needs. Poverty is probably most often a large factor in the reasons that a person may commit crimes leading to prison. When one writes about issues that cause women or men to commit crime, then one must write about the conditions that have led to this extreme condition of poverty.

We must recognize the fact that very often Native women have had no choice but to be where they are. As with most persons belonging to the female gender, aboriginal women have grown up with a strong ethic of nurturing others. We have ascended from a long line of nurturing women who gathered wood, tanned hides, cooked for and tended to their families. Above all, our duties as women mattered and were very valued. If we lived in a tipi and had clothes made of hide and if our children were educated in the way of mother earth and if they honored the great spirit, we were happy, contented and considered ourselves fruitful.

Then came the age of industrial growth. Since the coming of the white man the land we were used to living on became less and less. The rest is history that we are all familiar with. This history is a valid reminder of the reasons that the Native women's values have been even slower to change than the rest of the population.

The rest of feminine society is gaining strong footholds in the world of corporate business and politics and is venturing into male-dominated fields. Their age of awakening came sooner. Aboriginal women everywhere are moving at a slower pace, but are recognizing that the culture they honored was beautiful, but is now obsolete. A strong emphasis on material gain is apparent. The children who were content to run barefoot in the grass and play games with the others now want the shiny new 10-speeds and designer jeans.

Along with our white sisters, many aboriginal women have become the sole providers for their families. The reasons for this could fuel numerous discussions.

When the cries of wants or desires constantly fall on dead ears, it is hard to bear. The cries may be our own, our children's or our elders'. When we are constantly having to say "no" to our loved ones and even ourselves, we may take the only route that does not require money or a higher education. This of course would involve crimes such as prostitution, forgery, theft - the list goes on.

It is refreshing that as one reflects on these dismal facts there is also a solution. Without doubt, education is the answer.

Many years ago an elder had a dream where he saw an eagle standing on the moon. As the eagle stood on the moon the Native people began to move out of the shadows. He passed this vision on, and no one understood. Then the day came that the first spaceship, which was called the Eagle, landed on the moon. the famous words of the astronaut "The Eagle has Landed!" echoed throughout the world. Now the Native people understood. Native women/men are entering universities and other post-secondary institutions at a faster rate than ever before. In 1960 there were 60 Indian students enrolled in post-secondary studies in all of Canada. By 1988 there were 15,000 enrolled.

The increased level of education has resulted in more lawyers, nurses, teachers, social workers and business administrators. Obviously, education leads to self-sufficiency.