Great Plains Studies, Center for
Date of this Version
2004
Abstract
Devon Mihesuah has written a powerful book about the impact of colonization on the indigenous peoples of North America, especially indigenous women. Never losing sight of the enormous diversity of indigenous America, she nevertheless draws out commonalities - the centrality of women to indigenous religions, economies, and decision-making; the deleterious effects of European invasion; the efforts of indigenous women (and men) to revitalize their cultures; the social and individual healing that comes through tribalism and activism. The essays do not comprise a narrative history but instead develop interrelated themes in three parts - "Research and Writing," "Colonialism and Native Women," and "Activists and Feminists." Trained as a historian, Mihesuah provides a useful overview of the past in "Colonialism and Disempowerment," which concludes with examples, such as domestic abuse and the power of stereotypes, that link the history of European oppression to modern social issues. In an essay on the Cherokee Female Seminary, she explores both the internalization of European racial and gender norms and the creation of a strong sense of tribal identity among students, suggesting that the effects of colonialism are remarkably complex.
Comments
Published in Great Plains Quarterly 24:1 (Winter 2004). Copyright © 2004 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln.