Arming Sisters is a women’s self-defense project developed by Patricia Stein Stonefish, a young Lakota Sioux martial artist with a black-belt in Hapkido.

Patty first started teaching women’s self-defense in Egypt during the revolution, where she worked in tandem with the group Tahrir Bodyguard to combat the ubiquitous violence perpetrated against female protesters. Having witnessed the positive effects her workshops were having abroad, Patty realized the impact self-defense training would have back at home on Native American Reservations, where statistics reflect the alarmingly high rates of assault & sexual violence experienced by Native women.

According to the US Dept of Justice, Native American women are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual assault than all other American women. Amnesty International found that one in three Native women reports having been raped during her lifetime and that 86% of the offenses are committed by non-Native men. By making a film documenting the Arming Sisters’ campaign of self-empowerment through self-defence, we will raise awareness of these issues by following the unique story of Patty Stein Stonefish’s effort to effect positive change.

Arming Sisters workshop, Hibulb Cultural Center, Tulalip Reservation WA

The Arming Sisters’ compact workshops include two consecutive days of training, empowering women through mental awareness, psychological conditioning, and the physical application of 10 moves that can save a woman’s life. The moves are simple enough to be shared and retaught by each participant.

The Arming Sister’s Documentary will follow Patty Stein Stonefish as she tours her workshops around reservations in the Midwest and Northwest this summer. Brad and Willow plan to document Patty’s daily progress, the stories of the women whose lives Arming Sisters touches, and the communities they call home.

The strength of the Arming Sisters’ campaign is that it works to empower women on a grassroots level as well as raise awareness and begin a conversation. The prevalence of violence faced by Native women demands exposure, as does the community working for change.

We feel that this project captures the zeitgeist of voices fighting to end targeted violence against women. Join us in this expanding global conversation and help us share the unique, local story of Arming Sisters.

The strength of the Arming Sisters’ campaign is that it works to empower women on a grassroots level as well as raise awareness and begin a conversation. The prevalence of violence faced by Native women demands exposure, as does the community working for change.

For more information go to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/snippetproductions/arming-sisters-documentary-film