Native American Women 's Literature Class

There has long been debate among anthropologists about matriarchal societies. But that is a historical result of last 500 years of European military expansion and extermination of native cultures. There are a few societies whose status as matriarchies is disputed among anthropologists and this is as much a debate about terminology as it is about interpreting how another society defines status and such, their self-understanding as opposed to our imposition of categories on them. Among anthropologists, there are theories that support the plausibility of having prehistoric matriarchies. And if we look more at the complexity of societies, we're liable to find that the answer to why a

Popular culture has shaped our understanding and perception of Native American culture. From Disney to literature has given the picture of the “blood thirsty savage” of the beginning colonialism in the new world to the “Noble Savage,” a trait painted by non-native the West (Landsman and Lewis 184) and this has influenced many non native perceptions. What many outsiders do not see is the struggle Native American have on day to day bases. Each generation of Native American is on a struggle to keep their traditions alive, but to function in school and ultimately graduate.

From as early as the time of the early European settlers, Native Americans have suffered tremendously. Native Americans during the time of the early settlers where treated very badly. Europeans did what they wanted with the Native Americans, and when a group of Native Americans would stand up for themselves, the European would quickly put them down. The Native Americans bow and arrows where no match for the Europeans guns and cannon balls. When the Europeans guns didn’t work for the Europeans, the disease they bought killed the Native Americans even more effectively.

Native American literature from the Southeastern United States is deeply rooted in the oral traditions of the various tribes that have historically called that region home. While the tribes most integrally associated with the Southeastern U.S. in the American popular mind--the FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole)--were forcibly relocated to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) from their ancestral territories in the American South, descendents of those tribes have created compelling literary works that have kept alive their tribal identities and histories by incorporating traditional themes and narrative elements. While reflecting profound awareness of

     With Native Americans being the first inhabitants of North America, many people often question what traditions they have created on their own, before the ideas of the pale settlers. When taking a look into their interesting beliefs, it is obvious to see an intricate basis or animals and spirits that guide the lifestyles of Indians all over the country. Even their society had a special way of doing things, including gender roles of both men and women. There are many customs that have seemed odd to the average American throughout the centuries, but Indians found these a normal way of life. Even the lifestyles of Native Americans were unique, from hunting animals to tanning buffalo hides. Gender was a major

The book “Lakota Woman,” is an autobiography that depicts Mary Crow Dog and Indians’ Lives. Because I only had a limited knowledge on Indians, the book was full of surprising incidents. Moreover, she starts out her story by describing how her Indian friends died in miserable and unjustifiable ways. After reading first few pages, I was able to tell that Indians were mistreated in the same manners as African-Americans by whites. The only facts that make it look worse are, Indians got their land stolen and prejudice and inequality for them still exists.

In American Indian Stories, University of Nebraska Press Lincoln and London edition, the author, Zitkala-Sa, tries to tell stories that depicted life growing up on a reservation. Her stories showed how Native Americans reacted to the white man's ways of running the land and changing the life of Indians. "Zitkala-Sa was one of the early Indian writers to record tribal legends and tales from oral tradition" (back cover) is a great way to show that the author's stories were based upon actual events in her life as a Dakota Sioux Indian. This essay will describe and analyze Native American life as described by Zitkala-Sa's American Indian Stories, it will relate to Native Americans and their interactions with American societies, it will discuss

Martha Garcia and Paula Gunn Allen both write in their essays of the challenges that Native American women have historically faced and continue to confront to this day. Major contributors to these challenges are the stereotypes and misconceptions by white male anthropologists and missionaries who studied the Native American tribes and found the women subservient and passive. Both of these authors strongly disagree in this characterization of Native American women and instead portray them as important and honored members of their tribes who will struggle but will continue to have a tremendous impact on the future of their tribes.

Identity is a complicated and unclear concept that has no one definition. Nonetheless, identity plays a key role in the formation of our “true” selves. Identity is free formed, ever-changing and wildly different to diverse people. Making sense of oneself- who one is, was and may become, is the basic component of identity. When defining one 's identity there is no singular place to start. Identities are wide varieties of traits, characteristics, social roles and relationships that define who we are. It orients us and provides us with tools that will in turn shape and mold ourselves for as long as we live.

Mary was born with the name Mary Brave Bird. She was a Sioux from the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. She belonged to the "Burned Thigh," the Brule Tribe, the Sicangu. The Brules are part of the Seven Sacred Campfires, the seven tribes of the Western Sioux known collectively as the Lakota. The Brule rode horses and were great warriors. Between 1870 and 1880 all Sioux were driven into reservations, fenced in and forced to give up everything. Her family settled in on the reservation in a small place called He-Dog. Her grandpa was a He-Dog and told about the Wounded Knee massacre. Almost three hundred Sioux men, women, and children were killed by white soldiers. Mary was called a iyeska, a breed which the white kids

How did the Native American people groups who shaped North America for centuries become reduced to stereotypes portrayed in movies and other media? What is the place for advocacy and social justice ministries in these communities? These questions captured my attention during my education at Taylor University. At Taylor, most students are not aware of Native American tribes beyond the media portrayal in westerns or sports logos. As I conducted research for the Butler Undergraduate Research conference and the Emmaus Initiative, a nonprofit tracking religious freedom for Christianity, Islam, and Judaism in the United States, it became evident the blind spot regarding Native American studies and advocacy was a national trend. During my future

No one wants to hear stories about domestic violence and sexual assault, but it’s a big issue that needs to be heard out, especially for Native American women. It is estimated that over thirty percent of women in the general United States population have experienced domestic abuse and an even higher percentage for just sexual assault, many of which are based on women of color, which primarily consists of natives. This problem has been around for too long and there’s still limited resources for abuse victims, which needs to change. Too many women are put through abuse which could be prevented if more people knew and were educated on what is happening and sexual assault as a whole.

Native American culture has impacted America in many ways. Just some of these ways include agriculture, language, and governmental ideas. About four hundred years ago, when the pilgrims came to America, they met Squanto. After it became obvious that they were going to struggle to farm, Squanto, a native American who spoke English, taught them all about how to successfully farm in their homeland (Amenlnckx). Without Squanto and his tribe, the Pilgrims would have likely starved that winter.

Nevertheless, I learned a massive amount of critical information in this class. Beforehand, I was slightly acquainted with problems pertaining to being Black and on being a Woman. Yet, I never thought about how the two can be interrelated. As odd as it may sound, since I am Black and a Woman I never realized the intertwined confliction based on those two social identities. Kimberle Crenshaw’s video on Intersectionality introduced me to a new

In the Native American culture, there was a noticeable change in the status of women in the Cherokee nation. Women rarely labored in the fields because duties were “assigned them by nature as Mothers and Wives are well attended to… and cheerfully do they prepare our meals, & for the family they sew, they spin and weave and are in fact a valuable portion of our citizens.” These descriptions of a more civilized culture were hailed in the American press as indicative of the remarkable achievement of an exceptional Indian people. In order to understand the cultural and social changes by Cherokee women, their traditional culture must be analyzed.