#2 Native American Women's Roles

  

        Mothers, Wives, Providers, Protectors, Warriors, Women.

     The Native American women from the past can be easily compared to the women of the U.S. today.  Native women had many roles within their society, but first and foremost they were seen as child-bearers.  Even their duties outside of child-bearing and raising did not affect their role as a mother.  Native women's roles varied from motherhood to being a warrior.  They even had jobs we, as Americans, would view as professions.

     Women were highly respected for being able to carry on the circle of life we know as child-bearing.  Since men are unable to bear children, women are seen as gifted for being able to give life to a child.  Women were given such power because of child-bearing that men were not allowed to wrap or unwrap bundled babies.  Popick stated, "She was so powerful that it was she who unwrapped and rewrapped holy bundles because a man would not be able to handle this power directly without her intersession" (Popick).

                                                              Mother

     Native American Women's roles as the wife could be described as a teammate.  The husband and wife were a team and worked together to survive the natural struggles of life.  For example, the husband was the hunter and the wife was the gatherer.  She would gather herbs, berries, and even firewood.  The wife even fulfilled the duty of skinning, cleaning, and cooking the hunted animals.

     In America today, women have moved from the home-maker to an equal provider with their husbands.  The Native women were also providers.  They provided food, clothing, utensils, and homes for their families.  Amazingly, the women were the ones who built the Tepees.  Once the Tepee was made, it was considered the woman's home.  Everything in the Tepee was hers.  I find it interesting how the Native American's marriage was one of teamwork, but the women owned everything.  Even the animals, hunted by the men and brought home to the women, were considered the women's property.

     The Native American women were warriors.  At home, they were spiritual warriors.  Outside, they were either companions to their husband warriors or fighters themselves.  The women were considered more spiritual than the men.  Therefore, they took on the duty of praying for their families and praying for their husbands when they went to war.  Sometimes, the women would join their husbands on the journey to war as a good luck charm.  The women would carry their husband's shields as a sign of protection.  The women were protectors through their spirituality.  Some of the stronger, stouter women actually fought in the war.

                                                                  Warrior

     Today, in America, many women work outside of the home.  Native American women also worked outside of the home.  The careers Native women could have were highly esteemed careers.  I would compare these careers to doctors of today.  Some Native women were medicine women or even higher up the chain, Shamans.  Medicine women were like doctors of the day.  They would go around healing the sick in the community by giving sick members herbs and other natural remedies.  Becoming a Shaman was probably the most powerful role a woman could have.  Shamans were able to influence good and bad spirits.  They were like the spiritual doctors.  Shamans could cure disease, predict the future, and control the weather.

      Native American women were much like the women in America today.  However, it has taken the European culture centuries to give women some respect.  In the Native American culture, women have always been given respect and a high standing among society.  I see the Native American women as having more respect than women in America today.  In some ways, the Native women were seen as higher than men.  Americans have a long way to go before women can ever be viewed as better than men.  We, as American women, still aren't even viewed as equals to men.

                She is a Mother, Wife, Provider, Protector, Warrior.

                                  She is a WOMAN.

Works Cited:

Popick, Jaqui. "Native American Women, Past, Present, and Future." Lethbridge Undergraduate Research Journal. 2006. Web. 6 November 2011. <http://www.lurj.org/article.php/vol1n1/running.xml>.

"Spiritual Native American Woman." Online image. Wiyama Woman's Medicine. 6 November 2011. <http://wiyama.com/default.aspx>.

Abbrescia, Joe. "Native American Woman Giclee." Online image. Abbrescia Fine Art. 6 November 2011. <http://www.abbresciafineart.com/lostinthought.htm>.

"Woman Warrior." Online image. The Native American Taoist. 6 November 2011. <http://www.thenativeamericantaoist.com/2009/05/lozen-woman-apache-warrior-shaman-sage.html>.

"Native American Woman and Man." Online image. Vector Clip Art. 6 November 2011. <http://www.vector-clip-art.com/2011/02/indian-native-americans-021411.html>.