Women played powerful roles within the various bands of Indians
of the Pacific Northwest Plateau. Traditionally, Yakima and other Plateau
Indians were patrilineal but women served as religious leaders and Indian
doctors, helping their people in many ways. They advised male leaders
about important decisions, and they fought alongside men in battle.
Women often led the family and served as primary providers by gathering
By the early years of the twentieth century, the Yakima ranched and
farmed in order to supplement their traditional economy of gathering,
Significantly, the Bills of Sale For Personal Property reveal that Yakima 11 7 9
women were the major buyers on the reservation, which suggests that in
spite of the reservation system, women continued to play an important role
in the tribes economy during the first two decades of the twentieth century.
