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A Master Passion ISBN:
1771456744
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Mozart’s Wife ISBN: 1461109612
There are a host of powerful women in the Iroquois mythic
system: sky woman, the creatrix, grandmother moon—and the three sisters—who fed
the tribes with their bodies: corn, beans, squash. Many societies have powerful
goddesses, but for the Iroquois, this also translated into a tradition of
strong and respected women in every village. The Iroquois had a matrilineal
descent system, and this raises the status of women. The tribes that made up
the Iroquois confederation were divided into clans.
A simple illustration: if your mother was of the turtle
clan, then so are you. If you are female, your children will also belong to
turtle clan. If you are male, your children will belong to the clan of their
mother—who might be wolf, deer, beaver, etc.--but never turtle, as these are
considered to be your relatives. The leading woman of each clan was called clan
mother. For governance, clan mothers were entitled to appt. A certain number of
chiefs. The clan mothers could also depose their appointees, if they disapproved
of his choices. Culturally significant white wampum belts indicating hereditary
titles of chiefs were kept by women—titles passed not father to son but to
brothers or to sister’s sons. The clan mothers, through a man they chose, could
always make themselves known in council.
We might think of these women as female chiefs, because
their power over decisions and treaties made in council was genuine. These
women held greater status and had more control over national affairs than European
women of the time. In fact, when early Europeans attended councils to discuss
treaties or trade, they were frequently asked by the chiefs “where are your
women?”
The Indians found it odd that the whites did not consult
their women about decisions which would affect the entire community. The Iroquois
had a complex system of chiefs. There were war chiefs, who were, as the name
implies, generally young men of demonstrated valor--winners of battles. There
were sachems, who were the older men—representing the wisdom that comes with
years. There were only a few hereditary chiefs, whose appointment was in the
hands of the clan mothers. On more than one occasion the clan mothers are known
to have cast the deciding vote, blocking treaties or warparties.
There are many stories about Iroquois women refusing to
supply warparties with the moccasins and pemican (charred corn and maple
sugar)—that was needed for a successful expedition. Then as now, you can’t wage
war without supplies. The clan mothers often sided with the old men, the
sachems, laying a restraining hand on the enthusiasm for adventure of the young
chiefs.
There are examples from historic times of strong Iroquois
women acting as the tribes’ decision makers. Mary brant was a clan mother, and
also widow of Sir William Johnson, the British emissary to the Iroquois during
the late colonial period. She held her tribe to the British side during the
revolution. Sir William was not the only well known historical figure to have
made an important alliance with a powerful native woman…major general Philip
Schuyler also had a native “wife,” Mary Hill, a Mohawk. Through her, he spread
rumors about the activities of the American army. Schuyler’s “terrifiers” are
mentioned several times by his British opposite, Sir Guy Johnson, in letters
detailing various anti-Tory stories that were causing great fear among the pro-British
tribes. Mary Brant herself soon took care of this problem, by removing the
younger woman from Schuyler’s influence. She apparently persuaded Mary Hill
that she was a Mohawk first, and therefore must obey the pro-British clan
mothers.
Perhaps an even better indicator of the high status of women
among the Indians are the cases where an esteemed white woman living in Indian
Territory could exercise unusual prerogatives. Because she feared the effect
upon the British war effort, the Tory Sarah Mcginnis prevented a wampum belt
bearing news of an American victory from leaving the village where she
lived.
Women held power in their villages, too. When captives were
brought home, the women decided who would live, who would be adopted, who would
be made a slave, and who would be offered to the fire gods. Women took active
roles in torture alongside their men. Although it happened rarely, women could
also be accepted as warriors, if this proved to be the calling of their
heart.
Even long after Iroquois power was broken, their influence
was felt in interesting ways. In the 19th century, Lucretia Mott, one of the
leaders of the Women’s Movement, (born in MA) spent a month with the Seneca tribe
before attending the first Woman’s Rights Conference soon to be held in Seneca Falls, 1848. Native women today claim their influence can be seen in the tenets of
early feminists.
It has been noted by modern day activist Iroquois women that
they didn’t need western woman’s lib until all their rights were obliterated by
outsiders. Christianity in particular was sanctioned—probably a better word
would be “enforced” on reservations by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In the old
days a woman could pack up and leave her husband if she was abused. In a matrilineal
society, there a safe haven for a woman and her children always exists among
the members of her clan.
Holland C. Holling/Claws of the Thunderbird, 1930's
Oneidas, Mary Cornelius Winder and her sister Delia Waterman saved
their tribe’s identity by beginning to argue the modern day Oneida land claims,
instituting a suit against the U.S. government in the 1920’s that is still
being litigated. Some years ago, modern day struggles within the Oneida tribe have led
to suspension of Delia Waterman’s membership. Delia was a centenarian
without whom there would be no Oneida nation today. "This suspension was done by the Bureau
of Indian Affairs, backed by a ‘Men’s Council’—which never historically
existed—in defiance of traditional Oneida law of gender equality." (Joanne
Shenendoah, a noted 21st speaker for her sisters and her Tribe).
Juliet Waldron
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