Strength, Tradition, and Adaptation: Native American Women in Pontiac's War, the Trail of Tears, and the Wounded Knee Massacre
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Date
2018-12-06Author
Zwinggi, Stephanie Renee
0000-0001-6831-3837
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Native American women have largely been excluded from American history. Although there are a few Native female figures that are highlighted, such as Pocahontas and Sacagawea, the complexities and vastness of Native female cultures have been kept in the shadows. This is unfortunate because of the beauty and strength that lies in the many different traditional Native female cultures. I believe such information should be included in the histories of commonly remembered historical events involving Native American peoples, because it would make the histories richer, more accurate, and more inclusive. Highlighting Native female roles and perspectives in historical events would also certainly empower Native women today. That is why I have chosen three events with different Native groups in different time periods, Algonquian women in Pontiac’s War, Cherokee and Choctaw women in the Trail of Tears, and Lakota women in the Ghost Dance Movement of 1890 and the Wounded Knee Massacre, to focus on in my thesis and highlight the different Native female cultures and the complexities of Native female roles and perspectives during these different events.