Final answer:
Indigenous gender roles were varied and often more egalitarian than European norms, with women participating in farming, leadership, and respected positions. Matrilineal societies were common, and gender roles could be fluid. European colonization introduced more restrictive gender norms, but there has been a modern resurgence of interest in traditional Indigenous gender systems.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Indigenous contexts, gender roles were determined by a variety of factors that differed greatly from the European norms of the 1400s. Indigenous societies often had more flexible and egalitarian approaches to gender, with women participating in a wide range of activities including farming, leadership, and counsel in tribal affairs. For example, in many Indigenous societies, women were the principal farmers, had sacred powers, and played a significant role in the leadership of their communities, as seen among the Iroquois and Wampanoag tribes.
Most native societies operated on communal principles that emphasized the tribe as an extended family and often exhibited matrilineal structures. Even in societies where men dominated public leadership roles, women often held a prominent role in diplomacy and counsel. Gender roles in these societies were sometimes fluid, allowing individuals who did not conform to traditional roles to live freely as long as they contributed to society.
With European colonization, Native Americans encountered more restrictive gender norms. However, the resurgence of interest in Indigenous cultures has led to a reexamination of their more flexible and tolerant gender systems.