In fulfilling their traditional roles as leaders in their communities, American Indian women are oftenat the core of American Indianresistance and struggle for liberation. Native women have a long history of assuming leadership positions within their particular tribes. Theirstruggles share many of the characteristics of women's struggles associated with feminism in the larger society, yetmany Native American women explicitly reject the label of feminism.
This book takes into account the historical oppression of Native peoples, as well as the relative exclusion of Native women in the existing feminist research.
What became apparent despite their more central position in their societies, traditional Native women tend not to view themselves as feminists.
An important theme running through the book was although Native women, in general, do not have equality of opportunity within larger American society in terms of economic resources, employment, education, health care, etc, and in many cases are solely responsible for the survival of their families. Native women do not view their struggles for more power within their communities and the larger society as being incompatible with the primacy of home and family.