The Roles Of American Indian Women

The men were involved in clearing the land, plowing, digging ditches, fencing, building, and hunting. (Smith 30) This depicted women in the colonial period as weak and inferior compared to the men. The men handled duties that required strength and especially in outside occupations where this was most important. Women in colonial America were excluded from outside occupations because they were seen as weak and incapable to handle responsibilities beyond housework or the household.

As in many societies, gender played an important role in Iroquois society. Gender determined the types of jobs and tasks men and women were given. Gender roles in Iroquois society can be seen in the production and government participation.

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

     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

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

Over centuries from when the first Europeans arrived to the Americas, the Native American populations have drastically decreased. The diminishing population of Native Americans is a crucial warning that the culture will potentially go extinct. However, many individuals have taken efforts to preserve their traditions and keep them alive during the future generations. Here are some inspiring Native American women who strive to maintain their native language and culture in this rapid era of digital reliance and social media.

Native American Indians played a larger role in the Seven Years ' War than they tend to be credited in many history books. While it cannot be denied that the Native Americans certainly were used as “pawns” of the European soldiers, this essential group was also motivated on its own to fight. However, there is little doubt that the Native Americans would not have had involvement in the Seven Years ' War without the nudging of leaders such as Jeffrey Amherst on the British side. ² While many – if not most – of the European soldiers did not consider the Native American Indians to be valuable as people, they still contributed lasting culture changes to the English colonists in America, their own battle strategies and trade to the French as well as a new perspective on war and life in general during the Seven Years ' War, which proved to be invaluable.

In Mary Ho Tippeconnic Fox’s, article American Indian Female Leadership she starts talking about the impact that boarding schools and colonization had on Native American female leadership. She goes on to state the three questions that her and other authors used to conduct a study. The three question were Does ethnicity affect the way American Indian women lead?, Does culture affect American Indian female leadership?, Does culture encourage or discourage female leadership? After getting the results from the 17 women who finished the study, she goes into detail about what their answer means. In addition, about what the women thought were the most important when it comes to leadership them based on their experiences. Fox and the other authors tried to get Native women from all different types of leadership positions giving the study

Native American Indians played a larger role in the Seven Years ' War than they tend to be credited in many history books. While it cannot be denied that the Native Americans certainly were used as “pawns” of the European soldiers, this essential group was also motivated on its own to fight. However, there is little doubt that the Native Americans would not have had involvement in the Seven Years ' War without the nudging of leaders such as Jeffrey Amherst on the British side. ² While many – if not most – of the European soldiers did not consider the Native American Indians to be valuable as people, they still contributed lasting culture changes to the English colonists in America, their own battle strategies and trade to the French as well as a new perspective on war and life in general during the Seven Years ' War, which proved to be invaluable. ¹

Lakota Woman is a story that speaks about Mary Crow Dog that faces challenges with the Sioux tribe. The story elaborates on the difficult phases and solutions helping Mary Crow Dog discover her identity and cultural background as a Sioux woman. Also Mary Crow Dog struggles with her identity as an Indian woman because of the diverse domestic roles women had to play within the Native American culture. Additionally, Mary did not like how the Caucasian created immorality to the Indians as well as how the Indian women had to struggle to discover their personal strength. Not to mention, remain loyal to their traditions. Furthermore, the novel discusses the issues that Indians are faced with as it relates to their relationship they have form with the white society. Interpretatively, the Caucasians view Indians as savages and that they didn’t have any values. The Indians were stripped from their homeland. They had to live differently from their original ways because the hunting approaches were no longer available to the Indians. While residing on their reservations, Indians started to lose a sense of their identities, which were customs and ceremonies, and fighting trying to gain their land back.

Current research led by the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) has identified 1181 national incidents of missing and murdered Indigenous women (2014). However, this value understates the issue because it only includes cases that are known. In Canada, Indigenous women are three times more likely to be victims of violence than non-Indigenous women (Amber, 2014). Factors that contribute to this disproportionately

Gender played a huge role in the organizing of Apache community life. Though hunting and gathering was key to civilization, I prefer to refer to it as gathering and hunting. Women in the Apache tribe where the cornerstone of the community. They spent countless hours gathering necessities, and also without them the people would not have clothing. Often time when the mens’ hunting and raiding would ultimately fail, the Apache people would survive off the harvesting done by the women. Also women were celebrated due to the mere fact that they held the greatest power of all, the power of

When it comes to writing, the purpose and voice of the author is extremely important when it comes to reaching out to the intended audience. Writing is all about authors expressing themselves through poems, books, short stories, etc. For the most part, authors write for different purposes whether it is for informing, entertaining, or persuade. As for Joy Harjo, this author bases her writing on expressing her views and opinion on American Indian activism and setting ground as a Feminist writing. She is known for being an important voice in the rebirth of the indigenous culture and for relying her poetry for experimenting culture, structure, and language. Aside from her writing, she is also a musician; from my perspective Joy Harjo

The most prominent theme that I got from this week’s readings was how terrible white European men treated everyone around them that was different. White women and both men and women of color, practically anyone that wasn’t a white man, was seen and treated as lesser. The most frustrating aspect was that fact that white settlers believed the organized and successful Native American communities were nothing more than savages. Even though the settlers struggled to survive, lived in filth, and had to create laws to keep their community from falling apart, they still looked down upon the prospering Native Americans. The Native American woman was seen as a “beast of burden” simply because she worked hard to improve the lives of the community. It’s difficult from me to understand how white men that struggled to live decent lives could look down upon people that lived well, were knowledgeable and worked hard just because they weren’t white men.

In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered the “New World.” After his discovery many other explorers and missionaries from Europe explored, and eventually settled in America. By 1700 the Anglo population in the English colonies in America reached two hundred and fifty thousand (Carlisle and Golson, 2006, p.233). This was the first time European settlers came into contact with American indigenous people. Europeans were shocked and confused when observing the Native Americans. In Europe at this time, women were only thought of as mothers who spent their days cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. Native American women however were builders, craftswomen, healers, warriors, farmers, as well as mothers. Intermarriage between Native American women and male settlers, traders, and explorers also took place combining their cultures, beliefs, and biology, making women work as a culture-bonding mediator in American history. Intermarriage between Native American women and European men was common because very few of the European arrivals were women. Gender roles were very different in Native America way of life compared to Europe, especially the roles and responsibilities of the women.