Women in the Seneca tribe were often faced with harsh trials of life, including troubled pregnancies, short marriages with often absent husbands, and rough phases to face with their young children. When a woman became pregnant, her responsibilities did not end. She was not able to sit back and relax while her husband looked after her. Mary's husband was off at war while Mary was pregnant. Mary finally gave birth to this child; the infant died within two days. Shortly after this horrific experience Mary became very ill (82). Mary was also married twice and had several children. When a woman's husband went off to fight there was a small possibly that he would not return. When a Seneca woman's pregnancy ended well and the child was lucky enough to live, the Seneca tribe was often traveling from place to place in search of new, fertile land to farm. Traveling with a young child was certainly not easy for them, and it was the women's responsibility to watch over their children (88). .
The lack of education during this time period often forced women to endure hardships such as being taken advantage of. Things such as gathering enough food to last the winter and making sure their families survived were more important than being able to read the fine print in a standard legal document. When someone offered Mary Jemison what seemed to be a deal on a piece of land, she could not read the document and she was unsure whether or not to trust the man (145). At times, this lack of education that the Natives possessed could present a problem. If prestigious, intellectual Europeans came into contact with the tribe, the Europeans could easily take advantage of them. The European men came from a society were a woman's ideal job was only that of leisure, and here they see that women skin the animals that their husbands kill (84). .
