Osage Women and Empire: Gender and Power

This volume critically examines the history of the Osage Indians, beginning in the eighteenth century and focusing on approximately 150 years of changes in this culture. The author takes as one premise of Osage culture—and therefore, of the book—that spirituality and gender are interwoven and that one cannot fully understand the Osages without an understanding of these facets. After providing a brief overview of Osage origins, she presents a detailed understanding of Osage spiritual beliefs, with a core one being the complementarity of men’s and women’s roles in ensuring the universe is on its proper course. These roles are fairly traditional: men were hunters and warriors, whereas women possessed the force of fertility and therefore grew food and took care of household tasks. Her point is that in Osage culture, one side could not function without the other, so to understand Osages one has to understand these roles. The author...