“That’s Your Duty”: Stereotypes of Native American Women

Arwen Leila Ramirez

Tesuque Pueblo

Arwen Ramirez SHP Presentation.webm

Identity

Personal Connection

When I'm at home, I usually like to relax because I've been at school all day and will most likely go to work afterward so I'm often tired. Then when I get home, my brothers like to say "go cook us dinner" or "clean the house" while they do nothing else but watch TV or use their phones. Their only reason for saying such things is "you're a woman, it's your duty." My mom does everything for them. I don't know why but she just does it. They said do this for us and she does it. They make a mess, they ask her to clean it up for them. Sometimes I wonder what they would do if our mother wasn't here.

"Sharing One's Skin"

We learned about and discussed Okanagan publics while reading Janet Armstrong's article "Sharing One Skin." Mr. Armstrong focuses on the connections and relationships we have with people, what matches our personality, and how we express ourselves in our local dialects. We talked about. Armstrong also spoke about how grateful she is for her surroundings and what it's like to be there.

(Armstrong, Jeanette ”Sharing ones Skin” Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith (eds) The case Against the Global Economy San Fransisco, CA: Sierra club Books)

(Frenier, Donna) June 2, 2018

How Place Names Impact How We See Landscapes

Within the article “How Place Names Impact How We See Landscapes” by B. Toastie talks about the effect of naming places after colonizers and the way stories play a part within the social and fabric association of the Navajo individuals to the arrive and the way places carry a story inside them. The effect of naming places after colonizers and how stories play a district within the social and fabric association of the Navajo individuals to the arrive and how places carry a story inside them Toastie examines the affect of naming places after colonizers and the way stories play a part within the social and fabric association of the Navajo individuals to the arrive and the way places carry a story inside them. The way to keep in mind the past A thanks to keep in mind the past A way to stay in mind the past A way to confine mind the past.

Oaster, B. ‘Toastie’. “How Place Names Impact the Way We See Landscape.” High Country News, 1 May 2022, www.hcn.org/issues/54-5/people-places-how-place-names-impact-the-way-we-see-landscape/. Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.

History

Hirschfelder, Arlene, and Paulette F. Molin. “Stereotyping Native Americans - Jim Crow Museum.” Jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu, 22 Feb. 2018, jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu/native/homepage.htm.

Jim Crow: Stereotyping Native Americans

The contemporary United States often believes that everyone has a right to use and own indians, viewing them as national heritage and a source of commercial enterprise, The sense of entitlement has long history, manifesting in national narratives, popular entertainment, marketing schemes, sporting worlds and self improvement regimes. Images of indians have been used in various forms since european colonization, with depictions of native males and females used to symbolize the north american continent. The United States developed a mythology that helped justify the dispossession and conquest of indigenous peoples. American Indian imagery has been used by federal government, armed forces, American corporations and designers to justify the dispossession and conquest indigenous people. However, these representations often mask the reality of tribal nations struggling to maintain their populations, land, resources and sovereignty. The national Congress of American indians highlights the diversity of American Indians, 567 federally recognized indian nations in the country. This essay explores themes off centered of centuries-old stereotype of American indians including stereotypical violence, language representations, commercialization of indians, self-shaping indians mascots, and the world of children.

Grandmother, Daughter, Princess, Squaw: Native American Females Stereotypes in Historical Perspection.

The Algonquin- speaking people in the Northeast were first introduced to europeans by French and English explorers, missionaries, and trades in the early 1600's . The fur trade introduced new commodities to Native American, such as guns, blankets, wheat flour, and iron kettle and introduced snowshoes, canoes, pemmican, and moccasins to Europeans, This interaction resulted in the development of stereotypes, such ad "squaw" for females and the form "princess" for daughters of tribal leaders who married Europeans. Algonquin is subclassified into two major groups: Central Algonquian Languages, there are two types of words used to describe the female gender. Vocative terms and describe term of reference.The term "squaw"was initially used to represent the degraded, uncivilized, uneducated indian women but it was later broadly accepted by English speakers in North America to describe any Native Women who associated herself closely with her own people and culture.

MacDougall, Pauleena M. “Grandmother, Daughter, Princess, Squaw: Native American Female Stereotypes in Historical Perspective.” Maine History, vol. 34, no. 1, 1994, pp. 22–39, digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainehistoryjournal/vol34/iss1/3/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2023.

The S-word: Discourse, Stereotypes, and the Native American Women

The squaw stereotype is a visible in various forms, including labels in hovels, histories, television programs, films, and iconic photographs, art and advertising. These cultural expressions of reinforce public impressions of female indian-ness and the place of indigenous women in a romanticized and demonized past. These stereotypes support perrys description of ¨faces of oppression¨ as applied to Native American.

Merskin, Debra. “The S-Word: Discourse, Stereotypes, and the American Indian Woman.” Howard Journal of Communications, vol. 21, no. 4, 29 Oct. 2010, pp. 345–366, https://doiorg/10.1080/10646175.2010.519616. Accessed 9 Aug. 2020.

Current State of the Issue

“Reflections on Native Identity in the United States - Information Technology Industry Council.” Www.itic.org, www.itic.org/news-events/techwonk-blog/reflections-on-native-identity-in-the-united-states.

Reflections on Native Identity in the United States

November is Native American Heritage Month, acknowledging the contributions of Native Americans to US society, including policy-making and innovation. Understanding Native identity requires recognizing that it is based on membership in a tribal community, not outdated stereotypes. Despite this, Native professionals often encounter outdated perceptions that Native status depends on appearance and lifestyle, implying that "real" Natives are primitive and cannot hold leadership roles in modern society. This belief stems from the US's history of oppression, discrimination, and marginalization of Native peoples. The current era of federal Indian policy supports tribal self-determination.

“Native American Imagery Reinforcing Colonial Stereotypes :: California Secretary of State.” Ca.gov, 2020, www.sos.ca.gov/archives/trademarks/native-natural.

Native American Imagery Reinforcing Colonial Stereotypes

Colonial businesses used stereotypical images of Native Americans on trademarks to suggest their products were natural and pure, reinforcing harmful colonial views of Native Peoples. Patent medicines also used Native American imagery to indicate natural ingredients and counter public distrust of physicians, further perpetuating inaccurate stereotypes. These images are colonial misinterpretations of Native American People, not representative of Native communities, and can be harmful and traumatic for California tribal communities with historical trauma.

Why Native American women have been leaders in the fight against team mascots

Native American women have played a crucial role in leading the fight against team mascots, particularly the Washington NFL team name. Amanda Blackhorse, the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the trademark of the name, believes that the term "redskin" contributes to societal struggles in Native communities, such as low self-esteem and marginalization of reservation issues. Over the past 30 years, more Native American women have assumed leadership positions in tribal councils and decision-making roles within their communities.

“Why Native American Women Have Been Leaders in the Fight against Team Mascots.” Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2021, www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2014/04/01/why-native-american-women-have-been-leaders-in-the-fight-against-team-mascots/. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Global Connections

Gender stereotypes contribute to misperceptions of gender norms across the world

Gender stereotypes affect perceptions of gender norms worldwide, according to a study by Alessandra Voena and co-authors. People often misjudge their fellow citizens' opinions on gender equality issues, such as affirmative action for women in hiring. These misperceptions can impact policies and outcomes related to gender equality, including women's freedom to work outside the home and their representation in business and leadership positions. The study is based on a Gallup World Poll of 66,000 people in 60 countries, which revealed widespread support for women's right to work outside the home.

“Gender Stereotypes Contribute to Misperceptions of Gender Norms across the World | the Clayman Institute for Gender Research.” Gender.stanford.edu, 5 Dec. 2023, gender.stanford.edu/news/gender-stereotypes-contribute-misperceptions-gender-norms-across-world.

The Multiple Dimensions of Gender Stereotypes: A Current Look at Men’s and Women’s Characterizations of Others and Themselves

The study examines current gender stereotypes using a multidimensional frame work. Both male and female describe men, women and themselves on agency (assertiveness, independence, instrumental competence, leadership competence) and community dimensions (concerns for others, sociability, emotion sensitivity). Results show that communality stereotypes persist but agency characterizations are more complex. Male raters describe women as less agentic than men and female raters describe them. However, female raters differentiate among agency dimensions, describing women equally high on independent and leadership competence as men. Both genders rate men and women equally high on instrumental competence. Gender Stereotypes are also evident in self-characterization with female raters rating themselves as less agenic than male raters and male raters rating themselves as less communal than females. Women tend to characterize themselves in more stereotypic terms than they characterize others in their gender group. The study suggests that focusing on facets of agency and communality can provide deeper insights about stereotypes content.

Hentschel T, Heilman ME and Peus CV (2019) The Multiple Dimensions of Gender Stereotypes: A Current Look at Men’s and Women’s Characterizations of Others and Themselves. Front. Psychol. 10:11. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00011

Stereotyping Gender- How Is This Still A Thing? Linda Curika | TedxRiga

“Stereotyping Gender — How Is This Still a Thing? | Linda Curika | TEDxRiga.” YouTube, 15 Dec. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=feX-aRtvdl0.

Linda Curika recounts her experience of being labeled and judged based stereotypes. She shared her past struggle with her body image and pressure to be perfect, which led her to take dangerous pills to loose weight. In her 30s, she relized she could't perfect and began questioning societal expectation. This introspection led her to descover gender bias in conferences and media, prompting her to challenge these norms. Curikas journey highlights the importance of challenging stereotypes and advocating for equality.

Action Plan

Page updated

Report abuse