A study released by the Centers for Disease Control in February showed that:

American Indian and Alaska Native women suffer from the highest rates of domestic violence, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

In the largest-ever survey of its kind, 39 percent of Native women said they were victims of intimate-partner violence. This was by far the highest rate among women of all racial and ethnic groups.

Source

MMWR CDC Report

And so many have nowhere to go.   Thankfully, though, this is no longer the case for the women of the Standing Rock reservation in South Dakota:

Jackie Brown Otter created The Pretty Bird Woman House in 2005 after the brutal rape and murder of her sister, whose Lakota name means Pretty Bird Woman.

Last fall, after the original PBWH burned down, many terrific people helped raise more than $87,000 to buy a new home for the women who depend on it. And in case you missed the good news, as of February 16th, the new home is theirs!!

More good news:

A nearby reservation recently renovated the hotel attached to its casino, and donated furniture to Standing Rock, including a number of entertainment centers, chairs, tables, and nightstands. The Tribal Council then distributed them among the service organizations on the reservation. The shelter now has an entertainment center for the living room and the basement, nightstands and those entertainment centers for some of not all of the bedrooms, and chairs and tables for the kitchen and living room.

Source .  

Now it’s time to give them a housewarming!  

As Daily Kos diarist SallyCat pointed out in a great diary on Feburary 21 , PBWH is still assembling materials, and, among other necessities, desperately needs blankets, pillows, sheets and other bedding, towels, shower curtains, cookware, tableware, small appliances -- and all the other things that transform an empty house into an inviting home.  

Here’s a Wish List created by Daily Kos diarist betson08 at Target.  It has items that range in cost from just a few dollars to a few hundred; each and every one of them would be welcomed.

Want to choose your own gift and send it?  Here is the address for mail sent by UPS, FedEx or DHL:

Pretty Bird Woman House
302 Sale Barn Rd.
McLaughlin SD 57642

(Note: This is the address for the Tribal Council.)  

And  here’s the address for packages sent via US Mail:

Pretty Bird Woman House
P.O. Box 596
McLaughlin, SD 57642

Pretty Bird Woman House can also use financial donations, which can be made here.  I have a special place in my heart for women who need a means to escape from domestic violence.  I’ll match the first $100 of donations made tonight for our sisters at Pretty Bird Woman House.

Thank you!

(Pretty Bird Woman House Mascot)