Martha Garcia and Paula Gunn Allen both write in their essays about the challenges Native American women have historically faced and continue to face to this day. The stereotypes and misconceptions of white anthropologists and missionaries who studied Native American tribes and found the women submissive and passive are major contributors to these challenges. Both of these authors strongly disagree with this characterization of Native American women and instead describe them as important and honored members of their tribes who will struggle but continue to have a tremendous impact on the future of their tribes. Garcia's research focuses on previously published work on Cheyenne women by white men and re-examines these studies from a female perspective. As these white men migrated West, they recorded their observations. Unfortunately, their reports were erroneous and biased because white men's access was limited due to their foreign status and gender. These early observations revealed that Native American women performed menial work for the tribe, such as picking berries. Garcia notes that what these men did not realize or understand was the rich community life these women shared while picking berries. These men were also unaware of culturally valued norms of female behavior, such as modesty, kindness, and secrecy, which led them to view these women as passive and submissive. Cheyenne women simply possessed the natural tribal values ​​encouraged for women. Looking at the reports from a female perspective, Garcia discovered that Cheyenne women have historically played an extremely important role within their culture, particularly in their religious ceremonies. Cheyenne with...... middle of paper...... thirsty savages. These men embody the white man's vision of the savage Indian by mistreating women. In order to stop the abuse, Garcia believes that these stereotypes in popular culture must be confronted and changed. If media, literary, and artistic images are not changed to accurately reflect Native American life, violence will continue. Martha Garcia and Paula Gunn Allen both write about the historical challenges that Native American women have faced and continue to face today. They describe these women as honorable, courageous and proud members of a culture who are an integral part of their people's past and future. By raising awareness of erroneous reports and stereotypical characterizations of the Native American population, these two women highlight the importance of women in the survival of Native American culture...