Womanhood in LeAnne Howe's Shell Shaker

            Womanhood is an important theme in LeAnne Howe's Shell Shaker. We see the women in this novel portraying the role of a man, taking on the responsibilities of a man, leading the household, and representing themselves as the strong women of their time. Shell Shaker perfects a vivid image of women then and now and how they can be more than just housewives, but be leaders, role models, providers, and hard working class women. These women are not just portrayed as men, but warriors, hardworking women who take on the duties and obligations of the household as that of a man. .
             In the opening chapter "Blood Sacrifice,"" we see Shakbatina a shell shaker of her kind retelling the story of how her grandmother the first shell shaker helped her husband fight against the threat against the people of their land. She says, "She built a fire and she strapped the empty shells of turtles around each ankle. She didn't sing aloud because she was afraid the children would hear her sorrow in her voice, so she only moved her lips in silent prayers. For four days and nights she never stopped dancing around the fire, extolling the heroics of the man she loved. "Miko Luak " fire's spirit, was so spell bound by her story that he would not leave for fear of missing important details of Tuscalusa's courage " (Shell Shaker 2). After the prayer from the grandmother the fire spirit gave the grandmother the help she needed by providing her with a song to sing anytime she is in need of his help. .
             From this quote you can say that the grandmother is being portrayed as an important person in the life of her husband. It shows the courage and strength she had to endure the absence of her husband. Even after her husband went to stop this new threat to the people, she still decided to help out by praying to the spirits for help. The grandmother took on the role of a man to help out her husband in need. Another example of womanhood in Shell Shaker is the Billy sisters.