SEVEN SUPERWOMEN IN HISTORY
By Linda Ballou
ON BIG BLEND RADIO: Linda Ballou talks about seven formidable women in history that she admires, with two being inspirations behind her books “Wai-Nani” and “Embrace of the Wild.” Watch here in the YouTube player or download the episode on Podbean.
Simone de Beauvoir was the most influential author in my life. How a teenager in a remote town in Alaska stumbled across her groundbreaking book “The Second Sex” is a mystery to me. Published in 1947 it is heralded as the book that fermented the feminist movement. In it, Ms. Beauvoir explains that women are not inferior to men and do not need a man to have value. I am not a stated feminist. However, many of her thoughts about a woman’s place in society have stayed with me. I chose not to have children, and determined that self-actualization, that is to become myself to the hilt, was my goal in this lifetime. I hope for the same result for men as well.
As time went on, I learned I was not “normal”. Marriage was not tops on my list. I did not want to be a support system for a man to help him achieve his career goals. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in English Literature, I decided to drop out of society for a while to think about the direction I wanted to take in my life.
I landed on the north shore of Kauai where I met my next role model. She was statuesque, six feet tall, with an athlete’s body, and a brilliant mind. Ka’ahumanu was a childless bride yet remained the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great who ruled the ancient Hawaiian Kingdom. This was no small accomplishment as he had 32 wives. She walked shoulder to shoulder with him during his rise to power. When he died, he bestowed upon her the power to rule with equal weight of his first-born son. My historical novel “Wai-nani: A Voice from Old Hawai’i” was inspired by this incredible woman who broke social barriers and demanded equality in a dangerous world.
I am drawn in by empowered women who have been overlooked by historians. Isabella Lucy Bird was an incredible adventurer who endured tremendous hardships in her explorations. In 1872. At the age of 40, she lifted herself from the invalid’s bed and set out to explore the world. She became the best-loved travel writer of her day and was the first women inducted into the Scottish Royal Geographical Society.
In Embrace of the Wild I share her most transformative journeys in Hawaii and the Rocky Mountains… An unlikely blend of frailty and ferocity Isabella’s travels did not end in Colorado. She ventured to the western edge of China where she was chased by people who had never seen a white woman before. She traveled by horseback, mule and yak rafting down raging Chinese rivers and over snow-blocked Tibetan mountain passes. Continuing on to the deserts of Morocco and the Middle East. She also explored Korea, Viet Nam, and the humid forests of Malaysia.
Georgie White the Wild Cat of the Colorado River swam and rafted the mighty Colorado before the installation of the Hoover Dam. Before rafting the river, Georgie hiked the many trails lacing the canyon walls with her friend Harry Aleson. Harry asked her if she ever got tired or felt any pain from demanding scrambles over treacherous shale. She replied that she was numb to life since the tragic death of her 15-year-old daughter who was killed by a hit–and-run driver. After two years of this grueling distraction from her sorrow she found solace in the canyon. It’s constant—change—satisfied her restless spirit. She shared her love of the river with others by creating a raft called a g-rig that could survives the thrashing rapids.
One of the women I most admire is Beryl Markham (1902-1986) the first woman to fly from London to the Americas. Her father took her to East Africa when she was four. She grew up with the natives stalking animals in the African bush. Often described as a “wild thing”, her courage was only matched by her independent nature. Her first road to glory was in the horse racing world in Nairobi, from there she became the first woman bush pilot in Africa. She scouted from the air for wealthy trophy game hunters, took emergency supplies in the remote camps landing on makeshift runways. Her book “West with the Night” languished for four decades before the second edition was recognized as a classic memoir by Earnest Hemingway.
Georgia O’Keefe left celebrity in the New York art world to live a private life in Northern New Mexico. Her haunting images of the high desert landscape appear in art galleries around the world. She lived in isolation at the Ghost Ranch for years. When Gloria Steinman knocked on her door, she would not receive her. She did not want to me heralded as a feminist. She was simply an artist who found inspiration and solace in nature. Though she shunned publicity, she had an active social life with other artists like Ansel Adams. I found her rugged strength, fortitude, and independence inspirational.
Let us not forget Sacagawea, aka Bird Woman, the Lemhi Shoshone woman who enabled the Lewis and Clarke Expedition to achieve their goal of reaching the Pacific Ocean. She was abducted from her tribe by a rival tribe. A fur trapper won her in a game of cards and took her on the expedition. She nursed the men in the expedition to health with her knowledge of medicinal herbs. She prevailed upon her brother, who was the Chief of the Shoshone tribe to provide a guide for the explorers. Without her help the journey would have ended in Lemi Idaho.
These are just a few of the formidable women in history that I admire.
Linda Ballou is a Southern California-based travel writer, and author. You will find a host of travel articles on her site www.LostAngelAdventures.com. For more about her novels and travel books go to www.LindaBallouAuthor.com.
