American Indian Ethical Dilemma

Words: 284
Pages: 2

Statement of Ethical Dilemma: The suppression of American Indian and Alaskan Native women stems directly from the history of their oppression and discrimination by Europeans. Preceding colonization, many American Indian, Alaskan natives belonged to matrilineal cultures: their (AI/AN) “line of descent or clan membership passed through the mother”. Additionally, many AI/AN civilizations were established through a kinship system, where men and women roles complemented each other. Once the Europeans arrived AI/AN societies experienced new and predominantly male influences. The picture of AI/AN women’s positions within their tribes shifted with colonialism. In “many cases Indian women did have religious, political, and economic power—not