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Chapter 16
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Lakota Woman, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Activism and Resistance
Assimilation, Tradition, and Identity
Unity, Inclusion, and Equality
Racism and Sexism
Summary
Analysis
Mary jumps to the present day. She and Leonard are still together and have had three children together. Although she once took the kids and left Leonard—the stress of taking care of so many children and guests became too much for her—she and Leonard were able to make up and are living together in Rosebud. Mary is also close to her mother, as she is now able to better understand her mother’s struggles in raising children.
Once again, Mary reveals that the gendered expectations that fell on her shoulders—raising multiple children, cooking and cleaning for guests—became too much for her. She left Leonard in a moment of frustration, which suggests that she again did not feel that he was supporting or appreciating her enough. Her burn-out illustrates how the gender roles (in this case, domestic duties and child-rearing) foisted upon Native American women can be exhausting. Mary’s motherhood has made her more sympathetic of her mother, as she understands the pressure and stress that uniquely shapes Native American women’s lives.
Themes
Mary also discusses the lives of several AIM leaders, from Dennis Banks, who became a professor before starting a limousine service, to Russel Means, who is still a political leader. Many AIM members died, some from homicide and others from natural causes. The struggle for civil rights is taxing, she says, and had a physical effect on many of its fighters.
Although Mary doesn’t express regret—hers or the activists’—for the activism that led to the deaths or burn-out of many activists, she recognizes that fighting for change is mentally and physically draining. Nonetheless, her lack of regret implies that although the battle for equal rights is difficult, it is worthwhile.
Themes
As for Leonard, he is still a highly revered person in the Native American community and beyond. He has helped the Navajos and Hopis in legal battle regarding their forced relocation from Big Mountain. He visits Native American inmates throughout the United States to perform religious ceremonies. As Mary puts it, “wherever Native Americans struggle for their rights, Leonard is there.”
Leonard continues to be an advocate of intertribal unity. He joins other tribes, such as the Navajos and Hopis, in their legal fights against the U.S. government when it encroaches on the tribes’ rights. He provides spiritual guidance to Native American inmates of various tribes, which again demonstrates his strong desire to uplift all Native Americans, regardless of their tribe or their struggles. Leonard’s incessant activism—and the change he accomplishes—have made him a highly respected man, which demonstrates the importance of taking action and resisting oppression. Leonard’s activism led to meaningful change, generated awareness of the problems Native Americans face, and set a precedent for his admirers to follow.
Themes
