Advocates centering culture to address domestic violence in Native communities

This story is part of Crosswind News’ “Returning to Balance” Solutions Journalism Series. Using a solutions journalism approach, these stories highlight Indigenous led, culturally informed strategies to address challenges that disproportionately affect Native communities. "Returning to Balance" aims to inspire leaders, health organizations, and community members to consider new, community-grounded pathways for change. Our team spoke with people who are transforming their communities through culturally rooted solutions. At Crosswinds News, we believe Indigenous communities should not be defined by the problems they face. Instead, they should be recognized and supported for the positive change they create, honoring their culture and their wisdom.

These stories are made possible in part through the support of Native Oklahoma Insurance.

Written By: Rachael Schuit

(NATIONAL) “We’re treating our survivors as relatives,” said Lauren Pitcher, the Urban Technical Assistance coordinator for RedWind Consulting. “They are our sisters, our mothers, our aunts. Those are our values.”

Read this story on Crosswinds News here.

When it comes to addressing domestic violence and sexual assault in Indian Country, RedWind Consulting, a Native-owned organization takes a different approach compared to mainstream organizations. 

At RedWind Consulting, it’s not just about getting survivors out of bad situations, but about helping them return to their Indigenous identity so they can heal the trauma they have experienced and move forward. 

“When we talk to other advocates, we're talking about how they can involve their culture, or they can involve their use of medicines,” said Elizabeth Rice, the National Training and Technical Assistance Director for RedWind Consulting. 

Rice says that in its training programs, RedWind Consulting emphasizes the importance of encouraging each tribe’s specific culture and traditions when addressing the issues of domestic and sexual violence in Indian Country.

She's also walked survivors through traditional cultural methods to heal.

“We can take this tobacco, we can go out and we can use it at our, we have a spirit pole outside of our office, and we could go out there and we could pray,” Rice said.

Support Native-owned, Native-focused news. Subscribe to Crosswinds News today.

The cultural approach is an avenue for reconnecting a survivor with their identity, often lost in the cycle of abuse.

“It really brings a sense of wholeness that can't always be found in standard methods of advocacy,” said Pitcher. “Understanding those differences, like the importance of your children, the importance of your medicines, how your ancestors play into your day-to-day life, can really bring someone back to a state of restoration.That can really be more healing than just approaching the problem as a whole, managing just a case.”

Academic research backs up the need for providers working with Indigenous domestic violence survivors to be culturally informed. An article published on the National Library of Medicine website titled, “Indigenous Cultural Safety in Recognizing and Responding to Family Violence: A Systematic Scoping Review” is an example. 

According to studies cited in the article, Indigenous people who had experienced domestic violence stated they felt safer and more understood when the provider was able to center Indigenous culture and experiences at the forefront of their approach. 

Because Indigenous communities can be small, it’s not always possible for a survivor to avoid the person who abused them. So RedWind Consulting also emphasizes the importance of teaching survivors how to stay safe. 

“Helping to safety plan with our victims, we’ve got to help them to keep themselves safe, because they are going to run into them,” said Rice.

The training RedWind Consulting has done in Native communities around the country, built on a foundation that all victims are relatives, has had a lasting impact for many attendees.

One of those people is Boyd Billman, a police officer working in Victim Services for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribal Police Department. 

“I really appreciated how RedWind laid out why we advocate for victims, survivors, and advanced to how we respond appropriately, and recognizing cultural values in a response to victim survivors,” said Billman. 

The training Billman attended inspired him to become more victim-centered when responding to domestic violence calls. 

One of the biggest changes: the vehicle used when helping a victim leave a situation. 

“It has our crisis line on the backside and there's no exterior lights,” said Billman. “There's no light bar on the top. There's no push bar. So just trying to create that friendly approach just by pure visual aspects. Also in the backseat; it's just a normal backseat. There's no cage.”

Billman says people have taken notice of the new approach when he shows up to a call. 

“Elated might be the wrong word, but the person felt more comfortable going with me in my car because I didn't have that backseat,” said Billman reflecting on a recent call he responded to.

“Sexual assault victims, domestic violence victims, they really appreciated being able to sit down in a comfortable space. And I keep things in my car provided by our victim services. Everything from fidget toys to aromatherapy putty they call it and just something to distract that victim survivor from what just happened.”

Rice says moving away from mainstream approaches to addressing these problems has garnered positive feedback from people RedWind Consulting has worked with.

“We get a lot of good feedback,” said Rice. “I know when I've done site visits it's been super helpful to them, and they appreciate the time that we take to sit down with them.”

But, Billman says, a small community does pose additional challenges when addressing domestic violence. 

“Intimacy of our Native community here on the Fond du Lac Band reservation sometimes increases the reluctance to report crimes,” said Billman. “And I think that that is something that is seen across other communities, if that’s something that we’re experiencing here.”