Kidwell’s article addresses the historical insufficiencies of the depiction of Native American women in United States history (i.e. Pocahontas, Sacagawea, and Nancy Ward). After a brief history lesson of their mythical as well as actual life stories, Kidwell asks if we will ever know who these women truly were, what were their motivates, what was their intent.
Within this article, Kidwell uses, reoccurring terms for these women to describe their roles with the native society as well as the new colonial context. Labels such translator, diplomat, mediator, and a sign of peace are strong indicators that the role of the native women was one of importance to not only the white man but the tribe as well. Why is it then that only a few such women are glorified in U.S. history?
I also found it interesting in reference to Pocahontas and Sacagawea’s stories that these “powerful” women were seen as possessions by both the tribes they came from and by the white settler as well, yet in history are depicted as independent women that tamed the west and guided a civilization into the wild. Women, and in particular native women, have always been balancing a life in the context of an object to more recently a subject.
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Raising the issues of repeating descriptors placed upon Native women's actions, thoughts, perceptions, desires and motivations by a third person, academic voice can be quite problematic on its own terms. There is value in the way that Kidwell brings our attention to the productive work and labor of Native women in their complex roles within two worlds. At the same time, I think it is wise that you are reading against the lines, and are seeing that the delimiting language of the academy and of feminism may actually be yet one more layer of editing, and even censuring the actual realities of Native women. There is a tension in this process of trying to establish the lived experiences, attitudes, motivations and perspectives of Native women and also containing 'Native women' in a limiting framework of "mediator", which is too simplistic. MT
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