By
Rachel Schick
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Panel discussion first in series highlighting native women's achievements
Arizona American Indian women visited the UA yesterday to speak of their successes and struggles with making the cultural transition from reservation life to mainstream society, especially in the political field.
Debora Norris, a state representative from Sells, and Tohono O'odham tribal councilwoman Mary Ann Antone discussed their entrance into the political scene with about 40 people at the DuVal Auditorium at the University Medical Center.
Alice Paul, a University of Arizona associate professor emeritus of teacher education, has spoken in 17 states across the U.S. representing American Indian women. Yesterday she spoke of giving necessary attention to the contributions of American Indian women in society.
"You hear very little about the women," she said.
Breaking into "mainstream" American society as a minority is not always easy, Paul and the other women said, and breaking into the political scene as a minority woman is even more challenging.
Although gender roles are different across tribes, women generally play a stronger and more respected role in native communities than they would in American society.
Leaving a reservation and entering broader society requires cultural adaptations, said Norris, who is serving her third term in the Arizona state legislature.
Norris, a Navajo, said that growing up on the Tohono O'odham reservation in southern Arizona "made me who I am today and I am very thankful for (it)."
Norris attributed her entrance into politics to growing up watching politicians who she thought were very accessible, having parents that encouraged her to succeed and her mother's positive influence.
"Behind every strong American Indian woman you'll find (another) strong American Indian Woman," Norris said. "My mother is a good example of that."
"Heg," the word for he, she and it in the O'odham language, represents the emphasis of equality in American Indian culture, Norris said. Outside their culture, American Indian women must compete in a country that is far behind in the ways of equality, she added.
American Indian women are slowly making their way into the U.S. political scene, Norris said.
She joked that minorities do not sit in the back of the bus anymore, now they sit in the back of the legislature - and her goal and hope is to see them sitting in the front.
Antone, who has been on the Tohono O'odham Legislative Council for 12 years, said being a member of the legislature is a "hall with open doors of opportunity." She has watched four women on the tribal legislature turn into 11 from the time she began her first term.
Antone said she was encouraged by her elders to run for office. She has been an active spokesperson for the American Indian people ever since.
"Everyone wins when everyone has a voice," Norris said.
The presentation was sponsored by the Little Chapel of All Nations, a non-profit organization located on the UA campus. Future panel discussions will run every Sunday until Feb. 25.
