The Role of Native American Women Essay

Women in European societies enjoyed very little social importance. In Native American societies, women also held inferior positions, but not to the degree instituted among European women. Native Americans determined family membership through the female line, contrary to the European patriarchal system. A woman could divorce her husband if she wished. Europeans regarded this reversal of sexual hierarchy as dangerous and peculiar. Senior women of a village instructed the men during decision-making, determined the chief of a clan, and retained impeaching powers. Europeans regarded this sexual equality as another example of the uncivilized nature of Native Americans.

For Europeans, the to be a member of a family you had to be related to the eldest male in the household. This was a total opposite to the Indian society. For example, in the Iroquois society, family membership was determined by the family of the female. At the head of each family was an elder woman, followed by her daughter, their husbands and children, and finally her unmarried granddaughters and grandsons. When one of the men married, he moved to the family of his wife. This was a very sharp contrast to the Europeans, whom had for centuries, been the top of their social hierarchy. In Europe, the women had a very relatively primitive, limited role in society. They were not allowed to attend or partake in political affairs, with very few exceptions. Now, on the other hand, in Indian society there was a council of chiefs, whom was all male, but they were appointed by an elder women. Also, during their deliberation over issues, the males made the final decision, but would be expelled from the council, if they didn?t conclude to the same decision that the elder woman came to. The women's main job in Indian society, was being in charge of cultivation of, harvest of, and distribution of food. When the men left to go hunting, women were left to run society. The Europeans simply believed that the males were far superior to the family, which is why women could not have jobs, and were left to

This was a very sharp contrast to the Europeans, whom had for centuries, been the top of their social hierarchy. In Europe, the women had a very relatively primitive, limited role in society. They were not allowed to attend or partake in political affairs, with very few exceptions. Now, on the other hand, in Indian society there was a council of chiefs, whom was all male, but they were appointed by an elder women. Also, during their deliberation over issues, the males made the final decision, but would be expelled from the council, if they didn't conclude to the same decision that the elder woman came to. The women's main job in Indian society, was being in charge of cultivation of, harvest of, and distribution of food. When the men left to go hunting, women were left to run society. The Europeans simply believed that the males were far superior to the family, which is why women could not have jobs, and were left to only clean, cook, and various other household chores.

One of the difficulties in studying and assessing the effects and causes of changing terminologies and beliefs regarding Native American and First Nations gender identities is the incredible variety between both the histories of different tribes and the individual’s understanding of personal identity. It is a frequent and recurring problem in academia surrounding minority groups, whether they be racial, ethnic, sexual, or gender minorities, that the voices of actual members of the group being studied are ignored. What they are saying can be sterilized, particularly when the researcher is not a member of the group. The reality of the emotional and practical reasons for terminology used by these individuals cannot be understood without direct input from their voices, and as such five different perspectives regarding identity and terminology taken by Native American individuals are represented here. These examples are taken from blog posts regarding various topics surrounding these ideas, and the tribes represented include the Navajo, White Bear Clan, Cree, Metis, and Mi’kmaq people. While each of the five have different relationships to their Native ancestry, all five individuals take a perspective regarding the use of the term two-spirit. While all five take a positive stance on the use of the word, applying it to themselves, their understanding and emotional attachment to the word varies.

Native American women had to follow their husbands, fathers, and brothers to wherever they wanted to go in order to stay close to the bison. Therefore, with all the moving around, they had teepees that could be put up for living and taken down for travelling. Women were in charge of both packing up and putting up these moveable homes. Once they had claimed their new home, women started working the fields. These fields were their responsibility. Their children were also theirs to care for while the men were out on long hunting journeys. On top of all that, Native American women made things to trade, such as jewelry, tools, and pottery.

Today, women are believed to be equal to men however this was not always the case. During colonial times, women did not have the same roles as women do today; men and women had fixed roles in society. Roles between men and women do not exchange due to strict gender roles. Additionally, married women were not exactly considered as companions instead, as the husband’s property. Although gender roles were a significant issue among women in early America, another issue was the background of these women. Factors such as race, religion, geography/region, and social class were substantial to the extent of control a woman had over her own life. These factors significantly shaped the lives of these women. For instance, white women had differences

In the Native American societies the men and women were each given tasks which both sexes thought important. Neither gender was deemed more superior.

The men were responsible for hunting and fishing. While the women were in charge of farming (if they did any) and of gathering various types of berries, nuts, tubers, and other plants to eat. Women’s had lots of jobs to do such as, taking down and setting up the family’s Wigwam, looking after the kids, and making all the clothes. Men usually travelled long distances to catch food. These were the family roles of the Eastern Woodland people.

Just when the human history of the Americas actually began is the subject of scholarly debate. The disciplinary tools of anthropology and archaeology continue to provide us with ever more refined and exact knowledge about early Native American communities, but the exact time frame remains murky, broadly defined, and subject to disagreement. This lack of precision results from the absence of writing among most of the Native American cultures, depriving us of the benefits of the account of any eyewitnesses to help guide the inquiry. Although the isolation of the western hemisphere allowed the humans there to develop distinctive cultures, some disadvantages became clear the moment Europeans appeared.

The women were to be passive and obedient to their husbands. Women were looked to be inferior to men, which lead to scientific sexism later. Not only were women physically inferior , they were intellectually inferior. They would obey their husbands no matter what. If the man asked her to do something she would do it.

Federation of Indigenous women of Nepal in America (FIWNA) discussed empowering the migrated Indigenous women of Nepal in America. The discussion happened during a meeting which was organized to honor the United Nation Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) global Vice President Phulman Chaudhry and indigenous women Activist and Vice President of National Indigenous women forum (NIWF) of Nepal Yasokanti Bhattachan along with the Kamala Thapa coordinator of NIWF (National Indigenous Women's Federation) who attended the 17th session of UNPFII meeting which was held in the United Nation headquarters New York.

Woman in the early 1800s through 1920s were categorized as simple housewives who were only thought of to be caretakers, maids, and cooks for their families and were also not seen as equal human beings in the eyes of men. As woman began to realize that separating themselves from the stereotype of housewives was what they needed, more and more woman were defining themselves as individuals instead of a type of property to men. Even in the early 1800s, woman were starting to think in a modernistic way because they were trying to break a tradition and stereotype that had been greatly enforced upon society. In Woman Settlers on the Frontier: Unwed, Unreluctant, Unrepentant by Susan A. Hallgarth, she explained, “the records of [early pioneer] women [show] that many females were enthusiastic about pioneering

Widespread belief that women were intellectually inferior to men led most societies to limit women's education to learning domestic skills. Well-educated, upper-class men controlled most positions of employment and power in society. Traditionally, female family members existed only in terms of their relationships to men. As daughters, subject to the control and whim of fathers, women represented a means of economic or political gain through marital arrangements. As wives, they became their husbands' property, and symbols of power and status. Violence against women served to coerce their acquiescence in this scheme and perpetuate subservience to male relatives.

Unlike the Native Americans, the women were able to work up some equality for education, work, and society. Since the women were able to get equality in education, work and society; they also wanted to be able to use birth control. Women gain equality in education because women able to be admitted into colleges that

Since Europeans first arrived in the Americas in the late 1400s, they viewed American Indian relationships through their own cultural biases. Women were observed working alongside men, each contributing to the good of the tribe. Through the lens of cultural bias, Europeans immediately labeled these women as slaves, who were no better than animals. The early settlers failed to recognize that women were seen as equal to their male counterparts. Each sex had their own set of tasks, but all tasks were valued without one out weighing another (Lajimodiere, 2013). The slave stereotype continued to be perpetuated for centuries and became synonymous with the term Squaw. It infected the way American Indian women were treated by white men not only in the media, but in real life as well. In the media the Indian Squaw was routinely portrayed as a household servant, or a hyper