Course Syllabus

508:383:01 History of Native American Women : Walking in Two Worlds

M W 3:55-5:15 LOR -115

Professor : Alison R Bernstein, Ph.D Office Hours: Mondays 3-3:45 pm and Wednesdays 3:00-3:45pm (or by appointment) Office Phone: 848-932-8444 Email: [email protected]

Course Overview The History of Native American Women is a three credit history course, which is cross listed with women’s studies, that explores the histories, roles, contributions and struggles of American Indian women. Particular emphasis will be given to the experiences of Indian women in the 20 th century. It does so by placing issues of gender at the center of the debates around American Indian history and the social/political/cultural movements among Indians to secure self- determination, freedom of expression and tribal sovereignty. The course also focuses on understanding changing gender roles between Indian women and men within American Indian communities and the degree to which Indian women have assumed leadership roles within specific tribes and nationally.

The course encompasses a broad perspective, including overviews of major historical events beginning with tribal- colonists’ relations, colonization, the founding of the United States, Manifest Destiny, Indian Wars culminating in the Wounded Knee massacre in 1890, forced assimilation, the reforms of Indian New Deal in the 1930s, Indians and World War Two, the drive for Termination in the 1950s and 1960s and recent legal claims and victories regarding tribal sovereignty. It does so by emphasizing the roles of women, leading women activists and tribal leaders whose contributions have often been hidden, submerged, and/or devalued. The course also examines the impact of diverse Indian women’s expressions of cultural and political resistance to social inequality and injustice at the tribal, Pan- Indian and national levels. The course content includes primary texts, historical documents, documentary media, biographies and literary texts written by American Indian women as well as secondary sources and scholarly analyses. The often unheard voice of American Indian women is one of the key features of this course.

We will explore the diverse forms of expression of American Indian women including poetry, song, film, theatre and visual art; and the ways in which gender interacts with race/ethnicity, class, sexuality and culture to both catalyze and limit Indian women’s activism and self- expression within tribes and in broader political spheres. Finally, the course probes continuing issues related to Indian survival, self determination and identity in the 21 st century -- the persistent poverty, poor education and health outcomes and the persistence of negative (and “positive”) stereotyping , racism, prejudice and discrimination against Indians in general, and Indian women in particular.

The course is an elective that is open to juniors and seniors and sophomores with the professor’s permission. 1

Course Outcomes Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: ● define and identify major events and struggles related to the history of American Indians. - understand these events and struggles through a gendered analytical lens; - comparatively assess tribal women’s agency and involvement in the struggles for Indian self-determination and sovereignty; - recognize, critique, deconstruct and discuss masculine bias in traditional narratives, theories and understandings of American Indian history, especially in the 20 th century. - demonstrate familiarity with women’s forms of cultural and artistic expression across different tribal communities; - appreciate the ongoing roles of women artists as well as activists/advocates and politicians in national struggles for Indian self determination; - design, implement and present gender-conscious research in both written and oral forms.

Course Format and Requirements The course will be conducted in a “seminar” style. This means that students are expected to comment often and thoughtfully about the reading material and the instructor’s analysis. It is grounded in the idea of collective as well as individual learning and teaching. Also, in order to achieve course outcomes, students are expected to complete all readings and written assignments prior to the class for which they are assigned; actively lead and engage in discussions and contribute to/analyze themes based on their knowledge and understanding of American Indian women’s lives.

Quality of Work and Academic Integrity: As commensurate with the expectations of an upper division level course, students are expected to submit thoughtfully prepared research and analysis that incorporates class material and concepts. The assignments should be typewritten ( except in-class assignments and exercises), grammatically correct, spell-checked and on-time. Late assignments will be accepted only at the professor’s discretion and may be downgraded. Finally, academic dishonesty and plagiarism (i.e. verbatim usage of material from published or web sources without proper citation) strongly prohibited.

Evaluation and Assessment: Grades will be based on the following areas:

1. Class Participation – 30 percent of the final grade is based on the quality of class participation as reflected in regular class attendance; consistent preparation; and thoughtful engagement in class discussions.

2. Mid-Term Examination – 30 percent of the final grade is based on student’s score in an “open book” examination which will include several identifications and take-home short essays.

3. Writing and Research Project: Approximately 40 percent of the final course grade is based on a research project which explores a particular topic and is developed over the course of the semester. Components of the research project include a initial outline, bibliography, paper (10-15 pages), and oral presentation. The project should provide an original analysis and explicitly incorporate class concepts, understandings and frameworks derived from

2 readings and discussions.

Course Texts:

Required:

Crow Dog, Mary and Erdoes, Richard. 1990. Lakota Woman. New York: Harper Perennial.

Deloria, Vine Jr. Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto. Norman: University of Oklahoma.

Erdrich, Louise. 1993. Love Medicine. New York: Harper Perennial.

Hagan, William T. 1993. American Indians. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Mankiller, Wilma and Wallis, Michael. 1993 . Mankiller: A Chief and Her People. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

Perdue, Theda. Sifters: Native American Women’s Lives. 2001 New York: Oxford University Press. .

Additional articles/essays will be distributed as hand outs in class or will be found on the course’s SAKAI site.

Course Outline (This general outline is subject to change)

Week 1 (September 2) Introductions and Overview of Course. In class Screening of excerpt from Disney’s “Pocahontas” Topics: Basic concepts related to American Indian history, Indian women; Conquests and Wars.

Week 2 (September 8): Topics: Basic Concepts Continued: From Colonization to the Founding of the United States

Required Reading: Hagan, American Indians pp. 1-73 Maps and Graphs of Three Centuries of American Indian Holocaust and Survival (hand outs) Perdue, “Pocahontas” pp. 1-28; “Molly Brant” and “Sacagawea” pp.48-76 .

Week 3 (September 15)

3 CASE STUDY: THE TRAIL OF TEARS: screening of PBS documentary

Required Reading: Hagan, pp. 75-101 Perdue, “ Catharine Brown” pp. 77-91 Nabokov, Peter ed. Native American Testimony, “Exiles in their Own Land” (SAKAI)

Week 4 (Sept 22)

Topics: Wars, Reservations, Wounded Knee Massacre and American Indian Women at the Turn of the 20th Century.

Required Reading: Erdrich, Love Medicine. pp.1-43. Satler, Richard, A. “Women’s Status Among the Muskogee and Cherokee” in Klein and Ackerman, eds. Women and Power in Native North America 1995 Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. (SAKAI) Hagan, pp. 103-133. Shepardson, Mary. “The Gender Status of Navajo Women” in Klein and Ackerman, eds. pp. 159- 176. (SAKAI) Perdue, “Gertrude Simmons Bonnin,” pp. 127-140

CASE STUDIES: GERTRUDE SIMMONS BONNIN (SAKAI) and GUEST LECTURER, CLARA SUE KIDWELL (Feb14)

Week 5 (Sept 29)

Topics: Allotments, Forced Assimilation, Acculturation and early Pan-Indian Efforts

Required Reading: Erdrich, Love Medicine pp. 43-85 Hagan, pp.133-168 Prucha, Francis Paul, ed. Documents of U.S. Indian Policy . pp. 170-180. (SAKAI)

Week 6 (October 6) Topics: Reform and The Indian New Deal

Required Reading: Erdrich, Love Medicine pp.85-367 Hagan, pp.169-194. Bernstein, Alison. 1984 “A Mixed Record: The Political Enfranchisement of American Indian Women During the Indian New Deal” Journal of the West (SAKAI)

Perdue, “Alice Lee Jemison”, pp. 175-186.

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CASE STUDY: ELLA DELORIA

Deloria, Ella, 1944. Speaking of Indians. New York: Friendship Press (SAKAI) Prucha, ed. Documents pp. 218-232 (SAKAI)

Week 7 (October 13)

Topics: World War II and Changing Roles for Women and Men; Exodus from Reservations; Indians and Urbanization

Required Reading: Bernstein, Alison, 1999. excerpts from American Indians and World War Two. (SAKAI) Hagan, pp. 169-191 Deloria, Vine. pp.1-54;78-124

MID TERM EXAMINATION - OCTOBER 15

Week 8 (October 20)

Topics: Relocation, Termination, and the emerging social resistance movement

Required Reading:

Bernstein, American Indians, pp 159-175 (SAKAI) Hagan, pp. 195-215 Deloria. Vine. pp 54-77.

CASE STUDY: RUTH MUSKRAT BRONSON

Bronson, 1944 Indians are People Too (SAKAI)

Week 9 ( October 27)

Topics: New Struggles for Self-Determination, the American Indian Movement (AIM), and Women’s Political Leadership

Required Reading : Crow Dog, Mary and Erdoes, Richard. Lakota Woman Purdue, “Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash” pp. 204-222 Deloria, Vine. pp. 146-224. . Week 10 (November 3)

Topics: Indian women’s cultural expression and survival 5

CASE STUDY: BUFFY SAINTE MARIE AND “NOW THAT THE BUFFALO ARE GONE”

DVD screening : Buffy Saint Marie- Now that the Buffalo’s Gone

Required Reading: Perdue, “Lucy Nicolar” and “Maria Montaya Martinez”, pp. 141-174 Poems by Paula Gunn Allen, Joy Harjo (SAKAI)

Week 11 (November 10)

Topics: Tribal Sovereignty revisited; Reclaiming Native American Cultures, Values, and Struggles over Land Rights and Economic Development

Required Reading: Mankiller, Wilma and Wallis, Michael. . Mankiller: A Chief and Her People Prucha, Documents, pp. 287-302. (SAKAI) ; Mankiller video- “The Cherokee Word for Water”

Week 12 (November 17) Topics: Tribal Social Development and the Roles of Women : Education, Health, Housing.

Required Reading: : State of Native Nations pp. 199-233; 251-262. (SAKAI)

Required Media: DVD Viewing “Frozen River”

Week 13 (November 24) Topics: Indian Women and Indian Country Today

Required Reading:

Deloria, Custer. Pp. 225-267. Perdue, “Ada Deer” pp. 223-241.

Week 14 (December 1) Topics: 21 st Century Issues—International Relations, Intercultural exchanges, Indigenous Rights

Beginning Research Project/ Oral Presentations

6 Required reading: Native Nations pp. 83-92; 367-385 (SAKAI) 2000 U.S. Census (SAKAI) Mankiller,ed. Every Day is a Good Day. Chapter 7 (SAKAI) pp. 143-169

Week 15 (December 8)

Continuing Research Project Oral Presentations Final Research Project Due—by noon, December 10 th

“A NATION IS NOT CONQUERED UNTIL THE HEARTS OF ITS WOMEN ARE ON THE GROUND.

THEN IT IS DONE, NO MATTER HOW BRAVE ITS WARRIORS OR STRONG ITS WEAPONS.”

- Cheyenne Proverb

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