Today in Native Women’s history class- we discussed Native feminist political activists who advocated to retain sovereignty while obtaining suffrage in the US

Sophia Alice Callahan (Muskogee) a writer & author, opposed allotments diving tribal lands,she advocated for suffrage1/

Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin (Métis/Turtle Mountain Chippewa) 1st worked for the Office of Indian Affairs as a clerk in 1904- early career she encouraged Natives to assimilate to survive. She was involved in the Society for American Indians & the suffrage movement including 2/

The historic 1913 suffrage parade and march on Washington DC. Her views evolved & instead of promoting assimilation she emphasized traditional Native culture 3/

Zitkala-Sa/ Gertrude Simmons Bonnin (Yankton Dakota) gave a speech at graduation in 1895 advocating for women’s rights. She is best known as a writer who critiqued colonial structures & her activism through the National Council of American Indians 4/

Laura Cornelius Kellogg (Oneida) is known as one of the best speakers of her time. She was a polyglot. She helped found the Society for American Indians 1911-1923 which fought for Indian citizenship & opening the US Court of Claims to all tribes. She condemned the BIA schools 5/

We also talked about how in the 19th century US citizenship was used as a colonial tool to more readily extract Native lands. 1887 Dawes Act for example. Several states continued to disenfranchise Natives even after the 1924 Indian Citizenship Snyder Act 6/

In 1925, the Alaska territory passed the Alaska Voter’s Literacy Act requiring voters to read & speak the English language. In 1936, the Attorney General of Colorado said Indians had no right to vote since they weren’t citizens of the state. 7/

Other states: Idaho, New Mexico, & Washington withheld the right to vote from Indians not taxed. North Dakota restricted voting to “civilized persons of Indian descent who shall have severed their tribal relations” SD limited suffrage to US citizens which excluded many Indians 8/

In 1948, Miguel Trujillo (Isleta Pueblo) WWII veteran tried to register to vote &the county clerk refused to register him since he was an “Indian not taxed.” He argued that although he didn’t pay property taxes he paid a federal income tax, sales taxes, gas taxes. NM denied him9/

Other cases in the American Southwest in which the Native right to vote was threatened: 1962 Montoya v Bolack, 1973 Shirley v Superior, 1975 Prince v Board of Education

In 1965, Congress passed the Voting Right Act to complete the project of the 15th amendment. 10/

This thread is longer than I intended- in summary Natives hold 2 voting rights- one to their sovereign nation & the other to the US in accordance with the Snyder Act. Native women actively advocated for both in the late 19th/early 20th century. States tried to disenfranchise. End

Ps today is the last day to register to vote in the State of New Mexico- do this online or it must be postmarked by today! If you’re Native, vote in your tribal election & this US election!