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, med…