|
Papers > History > Cherokee Women
Featured Papers from Direct Essays |
|||
1. The Cherokee
|
|||
This is a preview of a paper to view the full text you need to signup and login.
Cherokee Women |
|||
|
... This historical bias has lead to male dominated archives with little or no attention paid to women (Perdue (1), 5). ... Despite European intervention, Cherokee women have persisted and maintained their fundamental roles in society. GENDER BACKGROUND In the early eighteenth century prior to any significant European contact, the Cherokee existence was one of marked by balance guided by oral tradition. Their belief in balance in all aspects of life did not leave room for a system of hierarchy that often oppresses women (Perdue (1), 18). Men and women lead very separate lives. ... Men primarily assumed the roles of hunters, while women occupied the categories of agriculture and gathering. ... The burden of a successful harvest, the very life sustaining task, rested on women. ... Coinciding with agricultural responsibilities was cooking, also preformed by women. Being as corn was the principle staple that Cherokee life depended on, it gave to women considerable economic power and status (Bender, 596). ... This practice demonstrated how women were at the center of Cherokee religion. ... Women were essential to the ceremony and by ritualizing the corn they were honouring the women (Perude (1), 27). Men were also excluded from women’s conversation and female events such as menstruation and childbirth. Cherokee’s viewed menstruation as polluting because it involved blood flowing from outside a ‘proper’ area. Women who were menstruating would go to a specifically constructed house. ... A women menstruating was thought to neutralize the effects of the medicine being given to the individual who was unwell (Perdue (1), 30). This severance from daily life effected men as well, as those with women who were menstruating took a position behind the others during ceremonies. It was not that the Cherokee’s believed that a woman was unclean during this time of the month as many European’s believed, rather that this natural process possessed great power which made women very dangerous. ... It was during these times that women were most female. Men and women were also separated by living space. ... Kinship was traced only through women and its responsibilities included women as well as men. Kinship affected all areas of Cherokee life and the status of women was due largely to their role in the system. ... Households themselves were quite large and men and women often even occupied different domestic space. Excavations have revealed women’s and men’s tools in different areas within a household, suggesting were certain space was separated according gender (Perdue (1), 4). ... The only permanent members of a household were women; husbands were not necessarily permanent members. ... The most significant role that the matrilineal divided clan played in Cherokee life was as the Perdue of justice. ... The notion of an ‘eye for and eye’ was very literal in Cherokee society. ... The system of the clan and furthermore tracing lineage through the female resulted in women having a great deal of power and control over the domestic domain (Perdue (1), 51). ... The roles did not change within Cherokee society but the tasks preformed by men were those that were of benefit to European traders. ... For the first half of the eighteenth century Aboriginals either exchanged with traders at factories within Cherokee towns or the Cherokee took their articles for trade to Savannah Town (Goodwin, 39). Women and men both became dependent on European good, especially with the introduction of metal. Men would acquire guns and ammunition while women would replace their tools with metal hoes and knives. ... Men who were Cherokee warriors begun selling slaves in the early eighteenth century, slavery proved to become a vital part of trade between the two parties. |
|||
To link to this page, copy the following code to your site:
Paper Information |
|||||
Title: Cherokee Women
|
|||||
Signup & Login |
|||||
If you don't currently have a login then Signup here |
|||||
| Pre-Written Papers | |||||
|
|||||
| Custom Papers | |||||
|
|||||
Copyright 2003-2008 doingmyhomework.com. All rights reserved.