The Impact of Our Native American Women on Our History

The Impact of Our Native American Women on Our HistoryIndian Women in the United States field marts include native American women. Such soldiers in the War of Independence as Sally Rock, Emily Mann, Anne Dietrich, Louise Antoine, and Sojourner Truth have left a great legacy. These American Indian female field marts are teachers in Indian boarding schools, field marts, and in modern day life.Indian-American women have been honored with numerous cultural, educational, and national events. The Field Matrons of the Four Nations Indian Matrons' School in Washington, D.C. have received the Congressional Gold Medal. They have also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Washington, and one such Mother has received a Pulitzer Prize for her work. One such Field Maiden, Emily Mann, was inducted into the U.S. National Women's Hall of Fame, as one of the pioneers of Native American education.The great cultural value of our history is being challenged by much of our society today. T here are those who do not appreciate this history. Unfortunately, these same individuals often refuse to acknowledge the contributions of our native sisters of other Native tribes. In the face of environmental protection, unemployment, and economic hardships many continue to disregard the good work done by women of the Native American people.The other day, I read a newspaper article discussing the scrapping of the Native American art display in the Smithsonian. As a woman of Native American heritage, I was appalled that such insensitive treatment of these amazing cultures could take place. Surely, the Smithsonian will begin working on how they can better show the true cultural and historical value of our culture by sharing this information with the world.The Native American women's field matrons, however, have much more than the denial of their history to deal with. A great many of our women work hard to care for their children, provide for their families, and hold the same jobs as any of us. Some have gone into academia to further the teaching of their cultures.This curriculum, however, is lacking when it comes to exposing them to modern day Native American women. The articles I read about this new wave of Native American women that appear in American Indian art galleries, have a great culture and history. However, there is much that does not reflect this, and therefore is lacking in our history.There are far too many women in the world that do not know our story, but instead seem to have accepted the story told by our enemies, the rest of the world, and even some of our enemies, to be fact. I feel for the loss of our history that we are experiencing. However, at the same time, I am reminded of the work of our founders, mothers, and grandmothers.Yet, most of us do not carry their spirits with us. And because of this, we are lacking in so many ways. All these efforts are for the best, but they are also for the good of our culture. We should not allow ourselves to get lost in the obscurity of the past.