Annotated Bibliography
Wagner, Sally Roesch. “How Native American Women Inspired the Women’s Rights Movement.” National Park Service. Web.
In this article, the author addresses the differences between the Euro-American and Native American societies and the role of women in them. According to Wagner, Matilda Joslyn Gage, along with other leaders of the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), admired the Six Nation Haudenosaunee Confederacy and its political, social, economic, and religious superior positions. In particular, these women were inspired by female authority that existed in the Native American society and was absent in the Western one. For instance, women controlled their nations’ economies, had their own property, and were involved in clans’ decision-making. In turn, women in Western society were invisible to the law having no legal existence. Being married, they almost had no rights and were regarded as intellectually and physically inferior in comparison to men. This article is beneficial for the study of the women’s suffrage movement as it provides comprehensive examples of the difference between Euro-American and Native American women in a society that inspired the former to fight for equal rights.
Dhillon, Carla M. “Indigenous Feminisms: Disturbing Colonialism in Environmental Science Partnerships.” Sociology of Race and Ethnicity 6, no. 4 (2020): 483–500.
This article refers to the ability of Indigenous peoples to resolve environmental issues in partnership with the White community and the role of Indigenous women in this collaboration. As Indigenous governance presupposes the involvement of all people regardless of their gender and has strong traditions of Indigenous feminism, Native American women play an important role in the resolution of important issues. However, they do not make decisions – instead, the decisions are made by Indigenous men and white women while Indigenous women serve as a liaison between communities and officials. The article demonstrates the impact of Indigenous feminism on the Western society that initially aimed to suppress it and how this feminism is currently affected by western feminism as well.
Hill, Margo, and Mary Ann Keogh Hoss. “Reclaiming American Indian Women Leadership: Indigenous Pathway to Leadership.” Open Journal of Leadership 7, no. 3 (2018): 225-236.
The authors of this article examine Native American women leadership, addressing Indigenous people’s values that presupposed the dominant position of women who owned property were involved in decision-making. Regardless of multiple challenges, Native American women are proposed to incorporate a Native American Leadership Indigenous Pathway model to serve as a link between tribal and mainstream American values negotiating two worldviews in a unique manner. This article may be useful for the study of American women’s history as it describes the opportunities for historical Indigenous feminism in the present day.
“Who Was Excluded?: Women’s Suffrage.”National Park Service. Web.
This small article describes limitations related to women’s suffrage and the right to vote. In particular, it states that Native American women had no right to participate in elections along with White women due to the absence of citizenship or other discriminatory practice, regardless of their impact in this movement and authority in clans. This article promotes reflection concerning modern challenges connected with women’s political, economic, and social rights.
Cahill, Cathleen D., and Sarah Deer. “In 1920, Native Women Sought the Vote. Here’s What’s Next.” The New York Times. Web.
This newspaper article refers to the Native American Women’s Suffrage Movement that appeared after the 19th Amendment that allowed White women to participate in elections. One of the most well-known Native American suffragists, Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, continued to fight for the rights of Indigenous people attracting attention to not only inequalities in relation to voting but to harmful policies of the government that targeted Indigenous communities. The significance of this article is determined by the fact that it explains how Native American women who had inspired the Western suffragists were involved in the same movement.
Adamson, Rebecca. “100 Years After Suffrage, Native American Women Still Fighting to Vote.” Women’s Media Center. Web.
This article explains how Native American women who inspired the suffrage movement in the United States still cannot receive their full right to vote. In the late 1800s, the leaders of suffragists spent time living in Haudenosaunee territories, receiving an opportunity to observe the role of women in Native American society. However, even when White women received the right to vote, Indigenous women’s same right was highly restricted. Even in 2008, there were limitations that did not allow them to participate in elections. This article demonstrates how Native American women are still discriminated against and may initiate additional research dedicated to this topic.