In many American Indian cultures, the beginning began with a woman.

There are White Buffalo Calf Woman, Spider Woman and Celestial Woman, to name a few. The women are revered in their cultures through creation stories.

Cecilia Fire Thunder, former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in Pine Ridge, S.D., recounted these stories and others during the United Tribes Tribal Leaders Summit at the Bismarck Civic Center on Wednesday.

Stories taught life lessons. Fire Thunder cannot recall any that taught American Indian men to abuse and rape women.

She spoke about efforts to end domestic violence, along with Carmen O'Leary of the Native Women's Society of the Great Plains and Linda Thompson of First Nations Women's Alliance.

Some organizations are trying to provide more resources for sexually abused American Indian women and provide legal means to deal with the men who perpetuate the violence.

Fire Thunder recounted a story in which two warriors approached a sacred woman. One warrior had bad thoughts and was turned into dust, she said.

"It is our first teaching of respecting women and sexual teaching," Fire Thunder said.

But, it might be a lesson that is forgotten. American Indian women are victims of rape or sexual assault more often than any other ethnic group, and many times it is unreported. About one in three American Indian women are raped and seven per 1,000 American Indian women are sexually assaulted, Fire Thunder said.

Many times, a victim of sexual assault does not want to file a legal complaint. Mandatory arrest laws could help. Also, on a federal level, more needs to be done to address jurisdictional issues to prosecute when one person is not a tribal member.

"People don't want to talk about it because they are embarrassed … or they are angry," Thompson said. "They need to (talk) for healing."

Resources need to be made available for the victim even if they do not pursue charges, Fire Thunder said.

A section of the federal Violence Against Women Act provides money specifically for tribes to use for domestic violence prevention and treatment.

"We need to regain respect for women enjoyed in our traditional communities, so we can be better grandmothers, mothers and daughters," O'Leary said.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)