Native American Women in Westerns: Reality and Myth

Abstract

Native American women have been portrayed in many of Hollywood's feature films, especially Westerns, in negative and stereotyped ways. After reviewing certain anthropological data, the distortions in these films become quite apparent. Few people realize the importance of women in Native American societies-past and present-and that their status in these societies was very different from what is presented in these films. The ethnographic material on Native women is rich, abundant, and readily available. What follows is a brief sample of the various leadership roles women had in Native American societies. Women's roles were as diverse as the tribes of North America. There was no universal standard regarding the status of Native American women; the role of each woman was unique to her own tribe and her status was determined by a number of factors, such as environment, economic base, and social and political institutions. Matrilineal tribes provided the greatest opportunities for women: women in these tribes owned houses, furnishings, fields, gardens, agricultural tools, art objects, livestock, and horses. Furthermore, these items were passed down through female lines. Regardless of marital status, women had the right to own and control property. The woman had control of her children and if marital problems developed the man would leave the home. Among both matrilineal and patrilineal tribes it has not been uncommon to find women warriors, statesmen, chiefs, religious leaders, medicine women, or shamans (the equivalent of doctors), and some women controlled great amounts of economic and political power. They were not, as Euro-Americans imagine, merely chattel, servants to men, wives, and mothers. Some examples of the cultures in which women would achieve high status were the Pueblo of the Southwest, the Iroquois of the Northeast, and the Muskogean tribes (Creek, Choctaw, and Chickasaw) of the South. The most prominent women statesmen were found among the Iroquois. The matrilineal/matrilocal aspect of Iroquois society helped secure their role in traditionally male-oriented culture and they developed highly effective political power. Their position was so secure that their status has remained relatively stable through to the present. In fact, it was the Iroquois male population which suffered the most in its contact with patrilineal white society. 1 Political power was held by the elder women of each local unit, who composed the Council of Clan Mothers. This council had the power to appoint and/or depose tribal chiefs and subchiefs; select the men to sit on the Great Tribal Council and thereby influence decisions made on that council; to wage or avert war; and to decide the fate of captives. Economic and religious activities were shared jointly and the entire social structure was based on equal but different functions. Women warriors were found among many tribes, and they offer rich source material for filmmakers. The most notable of these women were found among the waroriented Plains tribes: Crow, Blackfoot, Sioux, and Cheyenne. The social structure of the Plains tribes differed from that of the Iroquois. Among the Iroquois, women's status was integrated into the society. Among the Plains tribes, the woman had less stature than the man but she was allowed to attain higher rank through her deeds. Many married women would accompany their husbands on horse stealing raids. Although on these raids women cooked and performed other domestic tasks, they also were able to take an active part in the attacks on enemy villages or camps. Specific examples of female warriors include Yellow-