Indian Rights: A Call for Legal Equality and Freedom

The Indian Act must change to restore equal rights and freedom for Indigenous women.

### The Fight for Indigenous Rights and Identity
* 🌅 "I had a vision that I one day would be **free again**. To be an **Indian**."
* 💍 In 1938, marrying a white man meant **losing one's identity as an Indian**, stripping away rights such as **voting and property ownership**.
* 📉 The concern for the community's future is evident as the speaker notes, "**Our numbers will shrink, and shrink, and shrink**," highlighting fears of **extinction**.
* 🗣 The urgency for action is clear as the speaker insists, "**We've got to do something**," emphasizing the **need for change**.
* 📜 There is a call to amend the Indian Act to ensure **equal rights**, stressing that perceptions of equality can **shape legal realities**.
* 👥 Discrimination can arise even within families, as the speaker notes that **laws can create divides among Indians themselves**.
* ⚖ The speaker's mother faced severe backlash, including **death threats**, for her activism, illustrating the **dangers of political engagement**.
* ❤ The plea to "**search your hearts and minds**" underscores a deep desire for **solidarity and liberation** for Indigenous women.

I had a vision that I one day
would be free again. To be an Indian. I married a white man in 1938, and yet there's that law that you're not Indian anymore
when you marry a non-Indian. We lose our right to vote here,
we lose our property.

Our numbers will shrink, and
shrink, and shrink. And really, it's about
our extinction. Yeah. So then, I said, "We've got
to do something." Imagine, Mary, these recordings have gone
untouched for over 30 years.

This is the first time
we have ever been able to speak. We demand that
the Indian Act be changed to give us equal rights. You and your sisters, in a sense you're equal
when you think you're equal. And if you think
you're unequal,

the law won't change much. A law can make your own
brother discriminate against you, like he's Indian
and you're not. My mother became notorious. That's when she started getting
the death threats. You have to know the politicians.
Oh, God.

Oh, politics!
It's wicked. Please search your hearts
and minds, set my sisters free.

Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again (Trailer 01m40s)

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Loss of Indian Status and Rights Through Marriage

Marriage to a non-Indian resulted in loss of Indian status, voting rights, and property.

The speaker's concern about the shrinking Indian population and potential extinction.

Call for amending the Indian Act to grant equal rights.

The speaker's belief that self-perception of equality is important for legal change.

The speaker's mother faced discrimination and death threats due to her activism.

A plea for people to act with empathy and liberate the speaker's sisters.