Native American Women
My reaction:
While working through this sections reading, videos, and other material, I felt ill to my stomach thinking about how Native American women are suffering so greatly. Their culture and beliefs were stolen away from them by colonization, which lead to a plethora of other problems such as violence and a loss of say in their culture.
My Analysis: The Native American culture was a mostly egalitarian society before colonization took place. Native American women held a great amount of power and authority in their tribes. On example of this is seen in the book Women and Religious Traditions by Leona Anderson and Pamela Young when they discuss Clanmothers. A Clanmother is described as a woman who holds “a key political office in Indigenous
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Colonization lead to the separation of the sexes and the belief that man is superior to woman. Native American women were portrayed in popular media such as Westerns as inhuman, which sent a negative message about Native American women and all women. This excerpt describes the way that women were described, “rarely speaking or showing any emotion, these women were often depicted as nearer to animals than human beings, and their dehumanization was compounded by their depiction as beasts of burden or slaves to their owners- their husbands” (Anderson and Young 165). The colonization of Native Americans has had a lasting effect on the women and men, however the women seem to be underrepresented. “As a result of colonial policies, Indigenous women are overrepresented in recent statistical data on issues such as domestic violence, imprisonment, suicide and general poor health” (Anderson and Young 173). The video No Justice for Alaskan and Native American Women by Amnesty International USA stated that “Native American and Alaskan women are 2 ½ times more likely to be raped, in fact 1 in 3 of these women will be raped in their lifetime” (“No Justice for Alaskan” 0:24). These numbers are outrageous and need to be addressed in order to help Native American Women and women around the
Cherokee Women Summary
1518 Words | 7 PagesThe different settlers in America had continued to down women as a gender, and make males more superior. As Perdue continues, she addresses how the power that Cherokee women held had began to plummet the more they were involved with Europeans. However, today there are still Cherokee women that stand strong, hold positions of power, and even are still respected as if it was the 18th
Western Expansion And Its Effects On The Lives Of Native Americans
394 Words | 2 PagesBefore the 1860’s the native americans were living in peace until the Colonists attacked. The Western Expansion of 1860-90 greatly affected the lives of Native Americans, due to the powerful role
Love Medicine Sparknotes
1629 Words | 7 PagesHer writing offers compelling commentary about colonization's impact and cultural preservation within Native American
Iroquois Women's Roles
539 Words | 3 PagesThe Roles of Women: Iroquois The women of the Iroquois community were treated very differently than the women in European cultures. They were treated with great respect and were held in much higher positions than their European counterparts at the time. The Native women were honored whereas European women were often disregarded in their societies. The Iroquois society was healthily balanced, with respect that flowed both ways between both men and women.
The Round House By Louise Erdrich
846 Words | 4 Pages“1 out of 3 Native women will be raped in her lifetime” (219). The high raping rate of Native American women is discusting, feeling unsafe in their own tribe where they should be able to call “a safe home”. The white men have the courage to continue these horrible acts upon these women because they know that they will never be prosecuted by the tribal court and pay for the great deal of damage they have caused in a tribe. “The round house is on the far edge of tribal trust, where our court has jurisdiction… So federal law applies.
Columbian Exchange Destruction
739 Words | 3 PagesDuties of both genders were unique to the success of their community. Without the touch of European hands Natives were living life as they’ve been since their unknown arrival in the Americas. ”(Encyclopedia of the Great Plains) Upon the news of Columbus’s voyage to the West Indies, Europeans saw the chance to claim the land or resources
First Generations: Women In Colonial America
615 Words | 3 PagesSurprisingly, Native American women had more freedom than the white women in the Chesapeake, Middle Colonies, or New England region. Some Native American women were given rights such as controlling land, political power, marriage and divorce in choice. There were matrilineal kinship system, in fact, marriage was not the most top rite of passage for them. The author covers around the 1600s- 1800s century time period while focusing on mainly white women but also women of color.
Women's Role In Early American History
417 Words | 2 PagesWhile reading about American history the thing that I found most appealing was the limited rights that women had during this era. Although women gave the early settlers longer life expectancy and brought hope to their future, women still were not considered equal to a man. Women were discriminated against and didn’t play an important role in early American history. Generally, women had fewer legal rights and career opportunity than men because they were considered weak and not able to perform certain tasks. Different women came from different ethnic backgrounds and were all created equal in the eyes of men.
Louise Erdrich Round House Analysis
1124 Words | 5 PagesIn a 2008 CDC study, 39% of Native women surveyed identified as victims of intimate partner violence in their lifetime, a rate higher than any other race or ethnicity surveyed. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs at least 70% of the violent victimizations experienced by American Indians are committed by persons not of the same race— a substantially higher rate of interracial violence than experienced by white or black victims Federal government studies have consistently shown that American Indian women experience much higher levels of sexual violence than other women in the U.S. Data gathered by the U.S. Department of Justice indicates that Native American and Alaskan Native women are more than 2.5 times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than women in the USA in general (5 vs. 2 per 1,000).10 Additionally, 34% or more than one in three Native women will be raped during their lifetime, whereas for women as a whole the risk is less than one in five. 11 A 2004 study that examined intimate partner rape among American Indian women found that one in five respondents (20.9%) reported they had been a victim of at least one incident in their
Injustice Against Native American Women
1283 Words | 6 PagesThroughout the course of American history, Native American women have repeatedly become primary targets of sexual violence from non-native men. Around one in three Native American women has been raped or had undergone attempted rape, which makes them the largest race to experience sexual abuse than any other race in the United States. Before any contact was established between the Natives and the European settlers, the Native population had thrived off the land and they had their own criminal justice systems, which was meant to help all Native citizens find justice (Griffith, 5). Unfortunately, their efficient way of life would soon be interrupted forever following the arrival of white setters upon their lands.
Gender Roles In Native Americans
728 Words | 3 PagesAlthough Native Americans are characterized as both civilized and uncivilized in module one readings, their lifestyles and culture are observed to be civilized more often than not. The separate and distinct duties of men and women (Sigard, 1632) reveal a society that has defined roles and expectations based on gender. There are customs related to courtship (Le Clercq, 1691) that are similar to European cultures. Marriage was a recognized union amongst Native Americans, although not necessarily viewed as a serious, lifelong commitment like the Europeans (Heckewelder, 1819). Related to gender roles in Native American culture, Sigard writes of the Huron people that “Just as the men have their special occupation and understand wherein a man’s duty consists, so also the women and girls keep their place and perform quietly their little tasks and functions of service”.
Essay On Europeans And Native Americans
435 Words | 2 PagesTypical Native American and African society was often matrilineal. This meant that familial relationships were divided through the maternal line, rather than the paternal one like in Europe. This provided women in these societies a great more power and authority than it did in Europe. Women often were involved in making and influencing decision making in the tribe or group. To Europeans, this type of gender egalitarianism was not just foreign but also considered savage.
Domestic Violence In Australia Essay
1407 Words | 6 PagesThe Impact of Domestic Violence on the Aboriginal Community Domestic violence in Aboriginal community is a cause for concern regarding Aboriginal women 's health and safety. According to Kubik, Bourassa, and Hampton (2009) “In Canada, Aboriginal women have faced destruction in their communities and families as a result of multiple forms of oppression. Aboriginal women experience the highest rates of violence and abuse of any population in Canada”(p.29). Domestic violence is defined by Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary (2015) as “ the inflicting of physical injury by one family or household member on another; also: a repeated or habitual pattern of such behavior”. The objective is to look at the cause of domestic violence aimed at Aboriginal
Bad Indians By Deborah Miranda Summary
1007 Words | 5 PagesThroughout history, there have been many literary studies that focused on the culture and traditions of Native Americans. Native writers have worked painstakingly on tribal histories, and their works have made us realize that we have not learned the full story of the Native American tribes. Deborah Miranda has written a collective tribal memoir, “Bad Indians”, drawing on ancestral memory that revealed aspects of an indigenous worldview and contributed to update our understanding of the mission system, settler colonialism and histories of American Indians about how they underwent cruel violence and exploitation. Her memoir successfully addressed past grievances of colonialism and also recognized and honored indigenous knowledge and identity.
In Paula Gunn Allen's Essay 'Where I Came From Is Like This'
1012 Words | 5 PagesIn all the different tribes, none of the women are seen as less than the men, however in European culture at the time, the women were seen as weak and lesser beings. Gunn Allen tackles this issue using ethos logos and pathos by appealing to the readers through logic, emotion and her personal experiences. With Ethos Gunn Allen makes herself a credible source by mentioning that she is a “half breed American Indian woman. ”(83) making her story worth paying attention to rather than if it were a story by an outsider who truly has nothing to do with the American Indian women.
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