Women of All Red Nations facts for kids
Women of All Red Nations (WARN) is an important group of Native American women. They work to protect the rights of Native American people, especially women and children. WARN was started in 1974 by leaders like Lorelei DeCora Means, Madonna Thunderhawk, Phyllis Young, Janet McCloud, and Marie Sanchez.
More than 300 women from 30 different Native American tribes joined WARN. Many of them had been part of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and had taken part in the 1973 Wounded Knee event. The first big meeting for WARN was held in Rapid City, South Dakota.
WARN focuses on several key areas. They work to improve the health of Native American women and children. They also fight to make sure old agreements, called treaty rights, are respected. WARN wants to stop the use of Native American images as sports mascots and prevent people from using Native American culture for profit. They also highlight health problems like birth defects and other illnesses that can happen on Native American lands due to mining or storing harmful materials. WARN also cares about Native American children being adopted by families who are not Native American.
In 1980, WARN shared a report. It showed a link between high levels of pollution on the Pine Ridge Reservation and more cases of birth defects and cancer. This area had been used for uranium mining, as a military training ground, and had chemicals from nearby farms.
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How WARN Started
WARN was founded in 1974 in Rapid City, South Dakota. Before starting WARN, some of the women were active in the American Indian Movement (AIM). They were involved in the Wounded Knee event of 1973. Madonna Thunderhawk and Lorelei DeCora Means were part of a group called the Pie Patrol during the Wounded Knee occupation. Janet McCloud and Phyllis Young also took part in other actions for Native American rights, known as the Red Power movement.
About 200 women from over 30 different tribes attended WARN's first meeting. The group was formed because women felt their concerns were not always heard. They also wanted to continue fighting for Native American rights when many male leaders of AIM faced legal challenges. WARN gave Indigenous women a chance to focus on issues that were important to them as women.
The First Conference in Rapid City (1974)
Because of some issues within AIM, Madonna Thunderhawk, Janet McCloud, and Lorelei DeCora called for a women's meeting. This meeting happened in Rapid City, South Dakota. Over 300 women from different tribes came to talk about women's rights in Native communities. Both former AIM activists and new activists attended.
AIM had not fully addressed the concerns of these women. So, the conference aimed to find a new way forward. This new way was WARN. The women at the Rapid City conference founded WARN to address issues related to Indigenous women's health and safety. They also wanted to help end violence and substance problems in tribal communities.
WARN worked to continue the important work of AIM in supporting Native peoples' rights. However, WARN's main focus shifted to women's issues. Women took on leadership roles, and the challenges faced by Indigenous women became the group's main goal.
Protecting Lands from Uranium Mining
WARN played a key role in stopping uranium mining in the sacred Black Hills of South Dakota. They worked with other groups to protect these lands, which are very important to the Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota people.
In 1980, WARN published a study about how radiation from uranium mining affected people's health. The study was called "Radiation: Dangerous to Pine Ridge Women." A biochemist named J. Haworth Jonte measured radiation levels in the water sources on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Government rules said that more than 5 picocuries of radiation per liter of water was a serious health risk. The surface water had 15 picocuries per liter. The underground water, called an aquifer, had 11 picocuries per liter. This meant the groundwater was highly radioactive.
The study also looked at water for a proposed new well. It found that this water had fourteen times more radiation than the safe limit.
WARN also did a survey on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. They found a very high number of health problems in the area. These included problems during pregnancy, serious illnesses like leukemia, and other cancers. Many children born in the Pine Ridge Hospital had breathing problems or jaundice. Also, 38% of pregnant women admitted to the Public Service Hospital had problems during pregnancy, with many experiencing heavy bleeding. Even cattle on the reservation had more birth defects. These health issues were linked to radiation from uranium mining. The mining in the Black Hills and Edgemont had polluted the Cheyenne River, which feeds the Lakota Aquifer. WARN asked for a full government investigation into the health and water situation on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Taking Action and Protesting
WARN has always been active in national meetings and works with other women's groups. They are part of the National Organization for Women, which helps promote policies for minority women. WARN's main actions involve improving education, healthcare, and reproductive rights for Native American women. They also work to end violence against women. WARN aims to stop the unfair use of Native American culture in pop culture, like sports mascots. They also fight to protect tribal lands and treaties.
To protest these issues, WARN organized political actions and protests. In 1978, Janet McCloud led a 3,000-mile march from the West Coast to Washington D.C. At the end of the march, a protest was held in Washington D.C. This protest was against new laws that would limit Native peoples' treaty rights. These laws would also affect their rights to fish, hunt, and use their land and water. Over 30,000 people gathered in the capital to oppose these laws. After the rally, McCloud went to Seattle and destroyed copies of the bills in front of a representative's office.
WARN also took part in the Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline protest in 2020. They protested against building the pipeline near reservation lands. They worried it would threaten water and the environment. The pipeline was planned to cross at least five underground water sources used by Native American communities. It would also carry oil across these lands. Besides environmental concerns, WARN protests for the safety of Native American women and girls.
