The Squaw - White Man Style

In the beginning women tended to see Indians as contemptible objects. They could be "civilized" only the a woman's influence.  Dating back to the colonial days, the Indian stereotype was savage, heathen, barbaric and infidel.

Indian women, especially seemed to fit into the white's man mold...dressed in deerskin, moccasins, ankle and wrist bracelets, jewelry, and of course crowned with a head of flowing, loose black hair, riding on bareback horses.

Indian squaws were thought to be promiscuous prior to marriage, and with the marital vows, bound to the rigid standards of an Indian marriage with the result of breaking those vows, brutal punishment including loss of body parts.


All Indians trace their ancestry only from the mother, but according to the white man this was due to the inability to ascertain for certain who the father really was.  It was believed that squaws were forced to bear their child alone in the woods and could only discipline their female children (no spanking allowed), when in actuality, it was considered a crime for a male son to disrespect his mother in any way.

Indians women were actually accomplished equestrians, warriors, medicine healers and religious centers of the tribes. 

Next time...the Indian Princess