The Indian Woman Armstrong Summary

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I agree with the statement that under colonialism, Indigenous women and girls experienced countless emotional and physical violence in their lives. With colonialism, the view of western and Native men towards Indigenous women has changed and has affected them emotionally to the point they felt as.3 second-class citizens in their own communities. A quote from the Poem the Indian Woman by Jeannette Armstrong displays this corrupted viewpoint: “I am a female only in the ability to be breed and bear papooses”. (Armstrong, **, 285) After and with colonialism the status of being a wife and an equal partner to men changed drastically, they saw women as tools to expand one’s community. No longer were they seen as being the “giver of life to [to the] …show more content…

As mentioned before, the role of Native women had changed over time to where they were no longer respected as they once were in their communities. They were once seen as equal towards Native men, yet with colonialism, people treated them as second-class citizens. “lower than white women, not as good as white women. Because Indian men looked at them as the squaw”. (Isinamowin,**,p.21) Before, they lived in a matriarchal society; they gave women the opportunities to make decisions about their life and family matters without regarding their husband’s opinion. (Anderson,**, p.57) With colonialism came patriarchy and physical abuse towards Native women. Thus, lead to the ownership of women, their rights, freedom, and their reproductive organs. Men were seen as the ‘head’ of the household and his wife and children were his property. The power that was once divided, all came under the rule of thumb of one person in a household. (Anderson,p.60) “Western patriarchal family structures enabled Indigenous men to turn violence inwards”, (Anderson, p.76) by hitting and abusing their families. An example of this power unbalance can be seen in the practices of residential schools, where they were prepared Indigenous women for the domestic role of household necessities expected of a white woman; while when Native boys were taught how to do actions that were considered more manly like. These girls were physically and emotionally abused under colonialism when the power balance they had in their communities got