Social Work: Raising Awareness for Child Cases

Shanisa Imani Margarita Rain Martinez

Ohkay Owingeh

Shanisa Martinez, Smile July 26, 2024

“Pueblo of Ohkay Owingeh Flag.” Infobase, Facts On File. American Indian History

Shanisa Martinez.webm

Research Log 1

Martinez, Shanisa. "Mya-Luv" April 30 2023, Personal Photo.

"Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community by Jeannette Armstrong

The article “Sharing One Skin” by Jeannette Armstrong is a great representation of this. It starts off explaining where the Okangans came from and what their responsibilities or roles were. Armstrong mentions 4 important factors.

The first one is “Physical Self” ; it is parts of us that “exist beyond the skin” . We are one with the Earth, as in the article “Our flesh, blood, and bones are Earth’s body; in all cycles in which the Earth moves, so does our body.

Next is “Emotional Self” which connects us in other parts of our larger sleeves around us. We are connected to one another, our land, and all things by our hearts. According to the article “The strength with which we bond in the widest of circles gives us our criterion for leadership.”

Now we move onto the “Thinking-Intellectual Self” , this is “the spark that ignites” meaning the spark of memory that we randomly get at times.

Lastly we move onto the most important one “Spiritual self” this is being tapped in with your inner-self, feeling more connected with your past loved ones or ancestors. While in the spiritual self you are more intact with your soul which I believe is so powerful. As the Okanagan’s said “This is true self, and it has great power.” I believe that being Native American you are more spiritually intact with yourself and with places especially.

Jeannette Armstrong explains how these 4 major factors shape you as a person and community as well.

Citations:Armstrong, Jeanette. “Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community,” in Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith (eds), The Case Against the Global Economy. San Francisco, CA, Sierra Club Books, 1996. Pp 460-470.

Martinez Shanisa "Ohkay Owingeh Feast Day" June 24 2023 Personal Collection.

"How Place Names Impact the Way We See Landscape by B. Toastie"

Place names behind landscapes aren’t just for the fun of it, it’s how we perceive and connect to our landscapes. Landscapes don't just have names, they hold memories. “Everytime I go by that spot, when I drive past it, I remember that story she told about the water.” (P.3)

Many places hold memories for a lot of people and it can become a place where the person feels more at peace with themselves. As I read this Article I learned that people often name places because of the distinct features in the land. At home we have mountains that are named specifically because of how they look.

Citations: Toastie, B. “How place names impact the way we see landscape.” High Country News: Know the West, 1 May 2022, https://www.hcn.org/issues/54.5/people-places-how-place-names-impact- the-way-we-see-landscape.

"And Then I Went To School: Memories of a Pueblo Childhood by Joe Suina"

Native Americans have suffered from many kinds of trauma especially involving boarding schools, no matter the hate we receive or the hardships we face we still continue to stay resilient and find our way back to our traditions. Joe Suina’s article “And then I went to school” is a good representation of this, Joe lived with his grandmother from five to nine years old. He comes from the pueblo of Cochiti. At the age of 6 Suina started to go to school. School became something he wasn’t used to and it was an environment he felt uncomfortable in. He felt unconnected with his traditions and language, but once he arrived back home he knew that’s where he belonged. He knew it was HOME.

Citation: Suina, Joseph “And I went to school” memories of a pueblo childhood,”. New Mexico Journal of Reading And then I went to school

g, Winter 1985, Vol. V, No.2.

Martinez Shanisa "Red clouds" October 18 2022, Personal Collection.

Research Log 2

“Native American Boarding Schools in Montana.” Montana History Portal, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/92610. Accessed 15 November 2024.

"Reckoning with the abusive legacy of Indian boarding schools by Matt Reynolds"

There is much history about abuse involving Native Americans; the article “Reckoning with the abusive legacy of Indian boarding schools” gives examples of abuse involving them. Researchers began Identifying Indigenous children who died at Genoa U.S Indian industrial school in Nebraska. Judi M. Gaiashkibos, the executive director of the Nebraska commission on Indian Affairs, was leading a search to find a cemetery where the children were buried.

They believe that some children were trying to escape or they either took their own lives. More than 44 different tribes went to these boarding schools. The researchers returned bodies to some of the tribes, but sadly many couldn’t be sent back because their tribes no longer existed. In these boarding schools the children would experience physical, mental, and sexual abuse. People who had survived these horrible schools started to raise their own kids the way they were treated during their time at the boarding schools. Students from South Dakota sued the federal government alleging rampant sexual and physical abuse by priests and nuns.

They target Native Americans to prevent them filing lawsuits. “How are we to seek Justice in a court system that doesn’t see us.” One of the researchers Smith says “What happened at the schools shows just how resilient Indigenous people are.”

Citation: Reynolds, Matt. "AMERICA'S LOST CHILDREN: Reckoning with the abusive legacy of Indian boarding schools." ABA Journal, vol.108, no. 3, June-July 2022, p. 42. Gale Academic OneFile,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A708358189/AONE?u=nm_s_santafeis&sid=ebsco&xid=17ea4097. Accessed 30 Sep. 2024.

“Deb Haaland, Has a chance to fix the system that leaves many of America’s first people poor and powerless. But will she take it? by Terry L. Anderson"

Will Deb Haaland actually live up to what she's saying and will she be a good voice and advocate for Native Americans? She was in a position with Oil and gas development. She said consistently she would “stop all oil and gas leasing on federal lands.” but she called for “no new pipelines”.

According to the article in 2018 they found out that tribal lands have 5 percent of the nation's solar energy potential and nine percent of wind energy potential. It is said that Native Americans are the nation's poorest minority.

They also have the highest rates of drug abuse, spousal abuse, and alcoholism. The article speaks strongly on how Haaland has the ability and power to forgive the tribes and their community more opportunities for self-determination.

Deb Haaland has a very big responsibility on her hands and I hope she lives up to what she is preaching.

Citation: Anderson, Terry L. "Hope and Change in Indian Country? President Biden's new interior secretary, Deb Haaland, has a chance to fix the system that leaves many of America's first people poor and powerless. But will she take it?Gale Academic OneFile,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A670971583/AONE?u=albu16399&sid=googleScholar&xid=59966382. Accessed 30 Sep. 2024.

“Who is Secretary Deb Haaland?” We R Native, https://www.wernative.org/articles/who-is-secretary-deb-haaland. Accessed 15 November 2024.

"Violence Against Women Act 1994"

Through the years laws have been made to protect Native Americans and other cultures. In 1994 the Violence Against Women Act was created. VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) was established in 1994 signed by the president Bill Clinton.

This act was created to put a stop to such crimes as domestic violence, sexual assault, and even stalking. The congress found out that this was a serious problem across the country. The bill required all states to enforce this act, especially in other states.

New laws allowed victims to free the state and still obtain custody orders without returning to their state, protecting them from potential harm by their abusers. They extended the law to protect college students and youth. They included the LGBQT community as well. Many of the incidents started to decrease due to this act.

Citation: "History of the Violence Against Women Act." Legal Momentum, www.legalmomentum.org/history-vawa. Accessed 11 Apr. 2017.

Martinez Shanisa "LOVE" October 19 2022, Personal collection.

Reasearch Log 3

Research Log 4

"Child Victims of sexual violence aren't heard or understood: Nigerian Study"

A study done on 13 girls from Nigeria who had experienced sexual abuse. Researchers that many people would have rather kept quiet and not speak up about the incident. They wanted to highlight the themes that kept recurring. The interviewees reported that many times they were blamed for what had happened to them even though it was not their fault. 'Children are not listened to by parents or other people significant to them at the time of the abuse. Even when adults hear them the children are not understood they are rather blamed." The researchers believe that we need to make a more comfortable space for children to talk about their experience and not feel judged or shamed.

Citation: Iorfa, Steven Kator, et al. “Child victims of sexual violence aren't heard or understood: Nigerian study.” The Conversation, 13 March 2023, https://theconversation.com/child-victims-of-sexual-violence-arent-heard-or-understood-nigerian-study-198602. Accessed 3 March 2025.

Martinez Shanisa "Internship" November 25 2024, personal connection

"State must do more for survivors of sexual assault" by Maria Jose Rodriguez Cadiz

Maria Jose Rodriguez says the state must do more for survivors of sexual assault. She is an executive director of solace sexual assault services in Santa Fe. For over 52 years Solace has provided trauma informed therapy, forensic interviewing, advocacy and education and prevention services for survivors in Northern New Mexico. In the state of New Mexico 54% of residents have experienced sexual violence in their lifetimes. The article states that 12% of young kids in New Mexico have reported being sexually assaulted in the past year alone. This highlights a systemic failure to address the needs of survivors and prevent future violence. Without legislative funding survivors particularly in rural and tribal areas continue to face barriers to accessing services. The NM coalition assault programs is advocating for $7 million investments across three key agencies. The department of Health, the crimes victim reparation commission and the Health care authority. This funding would help support prevention initiatives. Maria and her staff urge the legislature to prioritize this funding in the upcoming budget.

Citation: Rodriguez, Maria J. “State must do more for survivors of sexual assault.” SantaFeNewMexican, 1 February 2025, https://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_view/state-must-do-more-for-survivors-of-sexual-assault/article_fd531e04-df48-11ef-82c1-17530bd00ad5.html. Accessed 25 February 2025.

"Open Your Eyes""Short film raises awareness about sexual abuse" by Malia Morales

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