Student Blog Contributions by Sophia Mahmoud

October 29, 2019

Chapter 4 of Why Indigenous Literatures Matter really described and reinforced the idea of how we all live together, beyond just human beings. Not just other humans, but nature and the spirit of ancestors too. The reading mentioned that we need to see relationships as long-term commitments because it is important to really acknowledge that it is there for the long haul. In the Marrow Thieves, the story follows a group of Indigenous youth, and they are essentially in survival mode, but they built a family and found something positive in something so negative. And I recently learned about the idea that a family and community isn't defined by a physical space, it is more about what is in the space. You don't need a stable home in order to have a community because you could have a space with nothing. I think it was really evident that they all adore one another when they had their own rooms, which they were excited about and then woke up all together because you can always buy a house, a shelter, but it’s really a home once you are surrounded by the ones you love. And I think the two readings connect because the idea of how to live with one another is about the relationship with others and not about the physical space.

November 20, 2019

Today’s collection of readings all related to Indigenous women’s health and it made me think about how neglected women of color, but most importantly, Indigenous women. In, "To the Man Who Gave Me Cancer", the narrator invited readers on her journey when she received her positive HPV test. Throughout the narrator's experience, I could almost feel her pain, in the sense of healthcare system yet again failing women of color. As a society, we know the Indigenous people have experienced social inequality for quite some time and we know the battles women have gone through to have equality in society, but there is no discussion of how women of color are treated, let alone how Indigenous women are treated. I feel like there is such a disconnect from Indigenous people because a lot of people fail to acknowledge the whole truth about the past Indigenous people have experienced over time. Overall, domestic violence, abuse of any kind, and the lack of proper medical attention is often overlooked, and it is something that needs to be addressed for women of color. The fact that Indigenous women are more likely to get sexually assaulted, even those it is a very small population overall really blows my mind because I feel like there is no discussion about this and I am concerned that I am just learning about this when I hope to be a medical professional in the future. I just hope our society can progress and be able to adjust the system to benefit all persons.

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© Copyright Sophia Mahmoud, 2019