Introduction
Over the years the modern woman is said to have been greatly inspired by the experiences and lessons of the Native American woman. Traditionally the Native American woman possessed what could be termed as power, autonomy, and equality. Unfortunately these virtues were eroded and at the onset of European colonization. Prior to the colonization the native woman played the key role of nurturing, counseling medical and spiritual healing. This article critically looks at the role of the Native American woman in comparison to the roles played by today’s women (Rayn, 122).
Roles of the American women
The American native woman was portrayed as the caretaker of the family. She was responsible for the welfare of the children and her husband. Unlike today’s woman who is described as multi-dimensional, meaning that she is involved in almost every activity within the society including farming, artisans, healers and business. This is seen with an exceptional case of one woman; Minnie Hollow Wood, she is the only woman in her tribe who is said to have taken part in the war against the U.S Calvary (Rayn, 102).
Within American native people tribes, the responsibility towards the custodian and creation of human life was given to the women even though in some tribes it was given to men. This is portrayed in the extract “As it was in the beginning” by E Pauline, where we see Esther’s great urge towards getting married and having her own family and becoming a woman, which is prohibited by the white man’s religion. However this is not so amongst a majority of the contemporary women whose priorities are not procreation and value education and career more (Pauline, 78).
Women in the Native American tradition were held high in regard to the spirituality and their connection to the everyday life, which contrasts with the Christian perspective. Looking at the Biblical story of Eve it is said that the woman took the serpent’s advice and convinced the husband to eat the forbidden fruit. Thus evil was exposed to man through the woman. This sharply contrasts with the native woman’s main role of passing good values and morals to the future generations. An example of this is the belief among the Cherokee tribe of India that they originated from the corn mother or the Selu (Rayn, 91).
When it came to decisions made by the male chief, the female chief would not speak against them depicting that women had more and better skills than men. For instance, Napi the male chief made a decision that, men were to be separated from the women, but the female chief advised they should be together. This is seen in the book ‘The Moccasin’ where the men are said to lack the ability to maintain cleanliness and could easily starve, making them eager to have their women back. This is unlike today where women prefer single lives and are unable to sustain marriage (Pauline, 80).
Political roles of the Native American women
In the political arena in the traditional American societies amongst the Paiute tribe there was a renowned woman named Sarah Winnemucca. Sarah was highly respected among her people because of her intelligence and she’s credited with the success of highlighting the plight of the Paiutes tribe. This lowered the various problems that bedeviled her community. This does not compare well with today’s politics where women have not been fully accepted as a political vehicle for change, Sarah’s reactions were not acted upon by the government (Rayn, 111).
Susan was the daughter of Chief Joseph from the Omaha tribe. She was the first American native woman physician and fought tirelessly for the health rights of her people. Susan was also at the forefront in fighting for a corrupt-free government, a Government where competence in performance was a key value. She also rose against the grabbing of the land belonging to the Indians, unjust laws as well as corrupt government agents (Fitzqerald, 110).
Conclusion
The American native woman is said to have been dependent on two men during her entire life i.e her biological father and her husband. However the modern woman views her dependence from where she draws her livelihood. Especially her career which directly caters to her financial needs, the more money she earns the more dependent she is on to her own self.
Finally, this great erosion of the ancient Indian cultures and traditions, and the inception of the modern cultures have been influenced greatly by the introduction of religion among the natives by the whites. This has greatly changed women’s roles today. In some cases, one cannot differentiate the role played by men and that played by the women. It has been attributed to equal opportunities for both the girl child and the boy child. Thou women are still considered as an important ingredient to the growth of any society.
Works cited
Fitzqerald, M. O. The spirit of Indian women: Nat Book Network.Lanham, 2005.
Pauline , E. J. (First Edition), The Moccasin maker; W. Briggs. 1913.
Rayn G. Women in American Indian society; Chelsea House Publishers: New York, 1992.