| Everyone has heard the legendary stories about | | | | supported them by helping them prepare and |
| Native American females such as Pocahontas, the | | | | provide them with clothing, food, weapons and |
| Indian princess who encountered John Smith, and | | | | prayer. |
| Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman who guided | | | | After a hunt was complete, it was the women's |
| Lewis and Clark across the Louisiana Territory, | | | | job to prepare the meat by skinning and cutting |
| but little is given about their daily lives. The | | | | the animal, often a buffalo, as quickly as possible. |
| American Indian Culture Research Center Web | | | | They also preserved the hide which was tanned |
| site and The Wind River Rendezvous magazine | | | | or turned into rawhide for clothing, furniture, tipi |
| have given us an inside look at the roles women | | | | covers, bedding and more. No part of the buffalo |
| played in Plains Indian tribes. | | | | went to waste, so the women also turned bones |
| The Plains Indians lived in an area that stretched | | | | and horns into household items including cooking |
| as far north as Canada down to Texas covering | | | | utensils. |
| what is now known as the Great Plains of North | | | | If need be, women would follow their men into |
| America. The Blackfeet, Cheyenne, Crow, | | | | battle. Some were skilled fighters while others |
| Pawnee, Sioux and Shoshone were just some of | | | | provided aid or medical attention to warriors. The |
| the tribes that lived on the plains. | | | | women would also do what they had to, to |
| Like many cultures, the women's main | | | | protect their families. |
| responsibilities were to bear and raise children and | | | | As a woman becomes older, she is seen as a |
| provide clothing, shelter and food for their families. | | | | source of wisdom for the tribe. Some may |
| Native American women had control over their | | | | practice medicine while most attend to their |
| own lives, more than white women at the time, | | | | grandchild. Grandmothers teach young girls to |
| and were recognized as a respected and vital | | | | sew, cook, tan hides and decorate in addition to |
| member of the tribe. | | | | educating them about the tribe's traditions. Elder |
| It was the men's role to protect their families, | | | | women also continue to pray for the well being of |
| hunt and participate in warfare. The women | | | | their family and the prosperity of the tribe. |