Woods Cree women's labour within the subsistence-based mixed economy of Pelican Narrows, Saskatchewan
Date
1991
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
Type
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
The subsistence-based mixed economy of Northern Canada is both productive
and essential to community life and survival (Berger, 1977; Brody, 1981 ;
Wenzel, 1981; Asch, 1982; Fait, 1982; Usher, 1982). Usher further states that
this economy needs to be maintained for its economic value and fundamental
linkages to social and cultural conditions. Most researchers state that the
productivity of this economy depends on the interdependency of women's and
men's work; however, within the extensive literature on this subject few writers
examine the labour of women. The purpose of this thesis is to document and
analyze Woods Cree women's labour within the subsistence-based mixed
economy. Their labour, which is embedded in the profoundly different voice of
Woods Cree culture, is best understood through detailed case studies. Oral
histories were collected from three generations of Woods Cree Women aged
sixteen to seventy, covering the period between 1900 and 1989. Usher's
analytical framework of the anatomy of the Northern economy is a most useful
model; however, it required some adjustment in order to address genderaffected
production. The feminist critiques of Delphy and Nicholson are used in
analyzing the nature of women's labour. The research found that although
Woods Cree women's labour has changed over time and space, it is still
essential to the functioning and maintenance of the subsistence-based mixed
economy.
Description
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Citation
Degree
Master's (Master's)
Department
Geography
Program
Geography