According to the teachings of many people including the Anishinabek, when the Creator made men and women they were given specific strengths that, when taken together would guarantee the survival of First Nations people. In addition, these gifts were what defined the role of women in traditional First Nation society.
The Traditional Role of Women in First Nation Society
In traditional First Nations society, women enjoyed an equal sharing of power in all areas including the political culture. While there were gender roles, and these roles were physiologically defined, the work of women received equal respect that of men and there was an understanding that the women guaranteed the survival of the people, not only through reproduction, but also through their physical labor and contributions in all aspects of First Nation society. The vast majority of pre-contact societies in North America were matrilineal in nature with women sharing equally in all aspects of the society.
Traditionally, First Nations women had control over the products of their labor and the freedom to distribute these resources. For example among the Iroquois, women owned the land and the products of the land while men provided the labor. More importantly they also controlled the distribution of the food including that gathered by men. Politically women also possessed power in the decision making process via women’s councils who appointed the leadership and provided direction to the men resulting in the control of the political agenda ( Albers and Medicine: 1983).
Further to this, Albers and Medicine found that within First Nations societies, there were few rigid rules regarding gender roles. Unlike European based societies, men did not have the power to make decisions to control what women did. Women’s social and economic power was found to exist mutually with that of men. Moreover, women possessed the freedom to participate in activities that could be defined as male roles if she had the prerequisite skills including participating in the hunt, war parties and in the political sphere including becoming chiefs and headmen.
First Nation Women in Leadership
As with many aspects of traditional First Nations society the political culture was fluid in nature. In socio-economic terms, values of reciprocity and redistribution formed the basis of traditional First Nation society, practices that historically inhibited the development of a class system within the society. Although some would argue that there was a class system operating, the foundation of this class system was prestige, gained through generosity and personal attributes. Effectively these qualities were accessible by all members of the society regardless of gender.
Essentially traditional leadership was a meritocracy and the people who possessed leadership ability could rise to positions of leadership and influence through their personal skills and abilities. This definition demands that a leader's primary loyalty is to the people rather than the political structure. This definition also dictates that the people retain power and authority, not the leaders or the political structure. Thus both the political structure and the societies leaders must remain accountable to the people. Further to this, there were no gender-based prohibitions regarding participation in the decision-making process. While in some societies, women's participation in the political arena did not extend to the public sphere, they still played a role in the decision-making processes of the society.
Today, we are seeing First Nations women resuming their role within the political sphere. First Nations are Chiefs, Senators, Members of Parliament, and of Legislatures across the country. Once again we are hearing the voices of women guiding us towards the future.
Annette Cyr - Annette Cyr, is a graduate of First Nations University of Canada with an Honours Degree in Indian Studies. In addition to this she is also ...
