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Myth of Indian Princess

         The hardest life in America has been that of the Indian woman. She accepted the hardship and has never complained about it. She never had any rights, was never treated with any respect. Her life was hard labor from sunup until sundown. She never had any authority, even over her own children. She was a slave unless she had an unusually kind or tender husband.While the men were off hunting or going to war or chewing peyote and having visions she worked hard and enjoyed no luxuries.

         And yet our culture idealizes the Indian woman as sexy and carefree. Victoria's Secrets decked her out in feathers and beads and skimpy lacy underwear, of course, on a body unaccustomed to hardship, over-tanning, and severe weather. Artwork everywhere makes the Indian woman something exotic and unreal, but always sexy and revealing and alluring. Somehow, we have ignored reality and painted some fantasy in our collective mind. This image of the pampered oversexed Indian girl is disrespectful as well as unrealistic. It somehow confuses the derogatory "savages" with "girls gone wild". It shows a lack of dignity towards the race and a gross misunderstanding of our culture.

         When I see those cute pictures or the scantily clad Indian maidens, I realize we are a lot more insensitive as a culture than we are willing to admit. And maybe the American Indian is one of the most misunderstood people groups.