The Women's Warrior Society
The Women's Warrior Society written by Ojibwa activist and artist Lois Beardslee was published in early 2008. Taking place in Northern Michigan, this novel writing asks the reader to question his/her role in the oppression of Natives through stories of victimization and empowerment. Connecting past Ojibwa legends with modern tales and situations, Beardslee takes the frame of modern native experience to connect current native oppressions with past repression.
Author: Lois Beardslee
Lois Beardslee is an established Native American activist and artist, and a member of the Ojibwa (Anishinaabe) tribe. She grew-up in Northern Michigan, and received a bachelor’s degree in art history from Oberlin College in 1976 and a master’s degree in art history from the University of New Mexico in 1984. Beyond her publications, Beardslee has contributed to the Michigan Legacy Art Park, was one of the original members of the “Grey Canyon Artists,” a Native American artists’ cooperative in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and participates in the Great Lakes Indian Artists Association. Interestingly, Breadslee is one of only two Native artists who still create traditional Ojibwa birch bark cutouts. She currently resides in Northern Michigan, and teaches introductory English at Northern Michigan College. Beardslee also created and taught a Native American literature course at Northern Michigan College. Plot Summary and Narrative Techniques
Beardslee’s novel is divided into short sections that combine and create her narrative flow. The narration varies from an intensely personal first person account to a removed third person, which adds to the lyrical dynamic of her work. Here is a list of the short stories/sections of her novel:
Baby Stealers (by Night)
Baby Stealers (by Day)
Baby Stealers (by Prejudice)
Ogtichidaakwe
Da Women’s Warrior Society
They Are Shape Shifters
The Sweatlodge''
Wimen Warriors Are Sneaky
Dat Wind''
Wimen Warriors Are Not Born, They Are Made
Warm Wind
Only a Warrior…
The Caste System
I’m a God
Road Warriors
Shit Girl''
Ok, These Wolves, They Walk into a Library
'What Really Goes on Over at the Tribal Library
Frog Warriors''
Ceremony
The Truth about Indians
Baby Stealers (by Presumption)
Wimen Warriors Are Not Born, They Are Trained
Baby Stealers (Uninterrupted)
Ya Better Watch Dem Wimen Warriors
The Warrior in the Mercedes
These Women, They Walk into a Sweatshop
The Warrior and the Objective Pronoun
Baby Stealers (by Indifference)
Initiation
They’re Dancin’ Up There
You’re So Fuckin’ Spiritual, I Can Feel It
The Deer Dance
Warriors and Children
However, one summary of the plot can exist through the continual use of the phrase, “OK, so these three Indian women warriors walk into a bar.” Beardslee uses the construction of this joke to further the social commentary of the novel. In the beginning of the novel, the phrase begins with these three women going into a bar. This stereotype is bunked as the novel continues, and these three women warriors are walking into a tribal library. Beardslee uses this statement to further the analysis and construction of a women warrior. At the end, the women warrior is presented as both a victim and a heroine. The woman warrior is the casualty of prejudice and stereotypes. While at the same, the woman warrior is a heroine for her attempts to maintain native culture, fight for education for her children, and attempt to improve the community at large. Themes
There are several themes that Beardslee utilizes consistently throughout her work, and the repetition of these themes adds to the critical depth and lyrical style of her writing. Some of the major themes are: Baby Stealers, The Women Warriors, and ’57 Chevy’s. Baby Stealers:
There are sections in the novel with the following titles: Baby Stealers (By Night), Baby Stealers (By Day), Baby Stealers (By Prejudice), Baby Stealers (By Presumption), Baby Stealers (Uninterrupted), Baby Stealers (By Indifference) As with many of Beardslee’s themes, there are several interpretations. One main interpretation is that, through the Baby Stealers, Beardslee discusses all the oppressions that have robbed Native Americans of their children, their heritage, their land, etc. The baby can stand to represent all things Native, such as history and culture. The stealers can serve as a metaphorical reference to colonization, and all aspects of non-Native society that threaten Native societies. These sections also highlight parts of the text where Beardslee seems to be in direct communication with the readers.
Baby Stealers (by Night)
One interpretation of Baby Stealers (by Night) is that this refers to the negative stereotypes and oppressing institutions that have been created to destroy native culture. This refers to the non-visible forms of oppression. This section also refers to the large accumulation of negative native stereotypes and thoughts, which have multiplied over time to create a history of oppression.
Baby Stealers (by Day)
A common interpretation of this section would be that it symbolizes the blatant forms of oppression that natives face. Boarding schools, and the role that Native Boarding Schools played in the destruction of native culture is the main topic in this section. Baby Stealers (by Prejudice) Baby Stealers (by Prejudice) highlights the role of “abusers” in the oppression of Native Americans. Baby Stealers (by Presumption) Baby Stealers (by Presumption) addresses the lack of value and respect that white society has placed on native customs and traditions. This section explicitly discusses the past and present colonization of native lands, customs, and minds. At the end of this section, Beardslee briefly begins to discuss the ways in which these native have begun to fight back, one of them being a “warrior,” which references her women warriors of the novel.
Baby Stealers (Uninterrupted)''''''''
Baby Stealers (Uninterrupted) speaks not only to the usurp of power that the natives have faces in the past, but how that impacts natives today. Through the description of a powerless native woman, the reader gets a sense of the cost of native oppression, the real life disenfranchisement of the native people.
Baby Stealers (by Indifference) Baby Stealers (by Indifference) addresses the lack of attention and care paid to native communities. This section highlights the life of a woman, and how she is praised for her native rituals but ignored when she attempts to discuss larger social and community related issues, such as healthcare. The larger community (white community) valued this native woman for her ethnic contribution, but were unresponsive to her larger social critiques and questions, and never gave her the space to voice her or her communities needs. This section demonstrates the dominant societies real lack of care and respect, and general apathy for the native community.
Women Warriors
Beardslee’s work is based on the accounts and tales of various women warriors. These women are warriors for fighting the overbearing hegemonic, patriachical white society who continues to oppress them. The theme of the woman warrior simultaneously compares and contrasts these women’s forms of resistance to the stereotypical image of the Native warrior, and the Native resistance image from the A.I.M of the 1970s. But the title also stands to redefine what is a Native warrior (maybe some examples of what is Beardslee’s perception of woman warriors).