Meaning of the Woman Symbol
Native American Indians were a deeply spiritual people and they communicated their history, thoughts, ideas and dreams from generation to generation through symbols. Native American symbols are generally geometric portrayals of celestial bodies, natural phenomena and animal designs. The Symbol of a woman was used in many different forms to illustrate their lives and those of their family.
The Woman Symbol as a Pictogram
The Woman symbol is in a fact a cross between a pictogram and a symbol. The Woman symbol is featured in many pictograms such as the one illustrated below. A pictogram, also called a pictograph, conveys a story and meaning through pictures that signify and resemble the shapes of physical objects or people. An Ideagram is another form of pictogram which conveys complex ideas, feelings and emotions. A pictogram, such as the one depicting a Woman in the bottom right corner, is a therefore a form of writing which uses drawings to tell a story. The image below is a pictogram that depicts the migration of a woman and her family due to the movement of various animals. The Nomadic lifestyle followed by a woman of a Great Plains Indian tribe coincided with the buffalo migration.
Native American Pictogram - Symbols depicting migration of animals and the woman symbol
The Native American Woman
The role of the Native American Woman was often misinterpreted by the European settlers. The workload of the tribes was divided equally between men and women. The men were responsible for making weapons, hunting and protecting the women and children. Hunting and fishing were deemed as recreational by the Europeans so Indian men were deemed to be lazy. The woman was deemed to be the real worker as many of their tasks included physical work which Europeans found unacceptable. The role of the woman was to care for the home, the building and upkeep of their shelter, making clothes, fetching water, skinning animals and preparing food.
Woman and Child inside a lodge
Woman Symbol and Pictogram
The religion of Native Americans was dominated by rituals and belief in a spiritual connection with nature and these beliefs were reflected in the various symbols and pictograms they used such as the Woman symbol. Native Indian symbols are still used as Tattoos and were used for a variety of reasons and depicted on numerous objects such as tepees, totem poles, musical instruments, clothes and War Paint. Indian Tribes also used their own colors for symbols, refer to Color Meanings & Symbolism, and designs depending on the natural resources available to make Native American paint. His belongings was decorated with art and included symbols depicting his achievements, acts of heroism, his various spirit guides or the most important events in his life and included the Woman symbol or pictogram. Every symbol used by an American Native Indian had meaning which can be accessed from Symbols and Meanings.
The Woman Symbol
Woman
- The Woman symbol of Native Americans
- Meaning, symbolism and interpretation of the Woman symbol
- Interesting facts and info for kids and schools
- Pictures, meanings, patterns and designs of symbols
- Native American Woman symbol meaning
Pictures and Videos of Native Americans
Woman. Discover the vast selection of pictures which relate to the History of Native Americans and illustrate many symbols used by American Indians. The pictures show the clothing, war paint, weapons and decorations of various Native Indian tribes that can be used as a really useful educational history resource for kids and children of all ages. We have included pictures and videos to accompany the main topic of this section - Woman. The videos enable fast access to the images, paintings and pictures together with information and many historical facts. All of the articles and pages can be accessed via the Native Indian Tribes Index - a great educational resource for kids.
