Traditionally, Plains Indian gender roles were well defined, and men's and women's responsibilities were equally crucial to the functioning, even the survival, of their societies. Consequently, both men and women were respected for doing their jobs well, although this is not how early European American observers saw it.

The Plains women wore leggings of deer or mountain sheep skins made to fit snugly, extending from the ankle to above the knee. They were slipped on like a stocking and tied top and bottom. Among some of the tribes the women decorate their leggings with beaded or painted designs to indicate their husbands’ war honors.

Historically, Plains women were not as engaged in public political life as were the women in the coastal tribes. However, they still participated in an advisory role and through the women's societies.

In general, as in the Plains nations, women own the home while men's work may involve more travel. [7] Narragansett men in farming communities have traditionally helped clear the fields, cultivate the crops, and assist with the harvesting, whereas women hold authority in the home. [ 8 ]

Native women have always had an important role in preserv ing cultural traditions and values. The elaborately beaded dresses that Plains women made—and still make and wear— are both beautiful garments and outward expressions of their tribal identity and family values.

These surprising accounts of an Indian woman whipping a white man provide valuable insight into the complex role of Plains women in interracial relationships, which originated in the Missouri Valley fur trade. Suggesting that Na- tive women involved in these unions were both active and strong-willed, the stories.

Historically, male and female roles were well defined in Plains culture. Mutual roles were crucial to the functioning and survival of Plains societies. Women made almost everything. They prepared food and hides, and sewed and embellished clothing and containers.

To be a warrior was a lifetime occupation for Plains Indian men, but most women who went to war did not pursue a warrior's life permanently. Many women went to war only once or twice in their lives. Others were married and accompanied their husbands on war or raiding parties, especially while the couple was still young and childless.

The role of women in aboriginal Plains societies was discussed in a Plains Conference symposium in 1977. The papers from that sym posium and others solicited later were published in a volume entitled Tlie Hidden Half: Studies of Plains Indian Women, edited by Albers and Medicine (1983). That symposium and the resulting book focused in part on ...

2010年9月28日 · Women, including plains Indians, European immigrants, blacks, and Chicanas, have always been essential to the development of Great Plains culture. Bounded by the patriarchal traditions associated with "women's place" in western society, women's diverse experiences are refracted through prisms of class, race, family structure, and work to create ...