Background:

In 1978, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Oliphant v. Suquamish Indan Tribe, declaring that American Indian Nations could no longer exercise jurisdiction over non-native offenders who commit crimes on tribal lands. Although the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”) in March 2013 restores a portion of the jurisdiction that Oliphant stripped away to American Indian Nations, VAWAspecifically excludes 228 federally recognized tribes in Alaska. Consequently, as a result of Section 910 of VAWA 2013, Alaska Native women remain the only group of Native women whose tribal governments cannot protect them. To learn more, read: www.sliverofafullmoon.org

Source: joespub.tumblr.com