Melissa Blind PhD Candidate American Indian Studies-GIDP PCA/ACA 2007 NATIONAL CONFERENCE (Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association) BOSTON MARRIOTT COPLEY PLACE, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS APRIL 4-7, 2007

ABSTRACT
Narratives of women or involving women classified as traditional, family, life, and counseling narratives, provide the foundations for recognizing and acknowledging the roles of women in Indigenous and non-Indigenous societies. Narratives that focus on women's strength, determination, and ability positively to manage change are empowering. Women who relate these stories to their own lives and family narratives draw strength from knowing they are not alone. Of course, not all narratives or life situations are positive – for example "The Rolling Head." The six versions of "The Rolling Head" (Ahenakew, 1929; Skinner, 1919; Colomb and Michel with Translator Merasty in Brightman, 1989; Bloomfield, 1930; McLeod, 1977) discuss the consequential actions of women who neglect their own families. These narratives of course become further complicated when looked at in relation to outside colonial influences regarding imagery of women. This imposition of colonial imagery is discussed through Louise Halfe's interpretation of "The Rolling Head" (2004), which explores the consequential actions of individuals who pass judgment on others and their circumstances in the absence of sufficient situational information. In analyzing these narratives, both traditional and contemporary understandings of the narratives, a better understanding of women's roles within the culture and how colonialism has affected these roles will be made evident.