How Tribal Women's Erased Legacy Shaped Native Nations' Survival
Women's History Month has brought renewed calls to recognise the erased roles of Tribal women in Native Nations. Colonial records have long ignored their significance, reducing them to stereotypes or omitting them entirely. For the Oceti Sakowin—the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota peoples—women were sacred, central to survival, and wielded power in ways rarely acknowledged today.
In Oceti Sakowin culture, women held deep spiritual and practical influence. Medicine women treated injuries and illnesses with Native plants, even prescribing abortifacients when needed. Some, like witches, could manipulate the power of colour or call upon deities for protection or harm. Their knowledge extended beyond healing, shaping cultural traditions and community decisions.
The turtle, or *kéya*, symbolised feminine power and fertility. A baby girl's umbilical cord was often sewn into a turtle-shaped pouch, honouring this connection. Women could also choose paths traditionally reserved for men, becoming warriors (*winoxtca*) or medicine women. Yet only one, Buffalo Calf Road Woman (*Čhetáŋ Šáwinŋo*), is recorded as receiving a warrior's highest honour—a war bonnet—for her bravery in the 1876 Battle of the Rosebud. Colonial accounts have distorted this legacy. Native women were often depicted as labourers or objects, their true roles buried. The Oceti Sakowin's worldview, rooted in the Divine Feminine and Mother Earth, contrasts sharply with these narratives. The principle of *wowicake*—truth and justice—demands these histories be restored.
The push to rewrite history this Women's History Month highlights a long-overdue correction. Tribal women's contributions—from battlefield valour to spiritual leadership—must be recognised. Without their voices, the full story of Native Nations remains incomplete.
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