Early Modern North American Indigenous Women as Authors and Publishers

In North America Indigenous women’s roles varied by tribe and region. However, in many Indigenous groups, women were responsible for holding the community together. To fulfill this function, they planted crops; raised children; created textiles, tools, and trade goods; determined social and kinship positions; and helped decide diplomatic action. In some communities, women served as tribal leaders and diplomats. Their status as authors developed out of their community roles. Indigenous women’s authorship is recognizable in their construction of material goods like wampum belts, baskets, and other textiles. Women also used birchbark and charcoal to communicate. With the advent of colonization, Indigenous women increasingly engaged in diplomacy by deliberately fashioning their actions and performances in order to sustain their communities. Though authorship and publication looked different among Indigenous communities than it did among European ones, Indigenous women were constantly using the situations and resources available to them to make their words and deeds public.