The Role of Women
Europeans often portrayed Native American women as non-stop workers, slaving away for their families. To tribes such as the Lakota, however, so-called "necessary work" was not at all looked down on. Women were treated much better even, in some cases, than their white counterparts. They performed such tasks as cooking, harvesting, gathering, collecting firewood, as well as all the tasks related to the preservation of meat and the use of buffalo parts for tools and skins. How diligent a woman worked could mean the difference between her family living comfortably and barely scraping along.
The roles of men and women differed sharply due to the belief in their connection to two separate powers. Hunting, warfare, and medicine comprised the realm of man, so women were expected not to participate in those activities, even going so far as to avoid contact with the tools they required. Likewise, sexuality and childbearing were considered the female powers, and women were expected to remove themselves from the community during times of menstruation and giving birth. Medicine in general was suspended until a person had exceeded their prime for procreation. Many elders within the Lakota and Dakota tribes still practice this, and find society's lack of understanding and respect frustrating.
The roles of men and women differed sharply due to the belief in their connection to two separate powers. Hunting, warfare, and medicine comprised the realm of man, so women were expected not to participate in those activities, even going so far as to avoid contact with the tools they required. Likewise, sexuality and childbearing were considered the female powers, and women were expected to remove themselves from the community during times of menstruation and giving birth. Medicine in general was suspended until a person had exceeded their prime for procreation. Many elders within the Lakota and Dakota tribes still practice this, and find society's lack of understanding and respect frustrating.