Women's History: Native Americans

[longknife]

by Denise Oliver VelezFollow for Daily Kos, Sun Mar 02, 2014

This is a first! I NEVER post anything from this site. It's only because it deals with American Indians that I even bothered to read it. This is an important segment of the story:

Many, if not most, of our nations were Matriarchal so of course their leadership was made up of women. However the Christian invaders could not understand it and would not deal with women leaders so they chose a male Chief and spoke only to him. The real women leaders names never appeared in the history of the tribes which was/is written by the invaders.

It includes an interesting video @ Audrey Shenandoah on Vimeo

Read the full piece @ Women's History: Native Americans

An aside - most of the treaties Americans worked out with most tribes were invalid because they were not discussed with the true leaders, the Peace Chief and the full council which included women!!!

 

[Katzndogz]

As a half breed and a student of Native American culture, this is entirely HOOEY!

Native tribes did allow women more latitude such as ownership of property and a vote in tribal affairs that white people did not allow their women. There were indeed women's councils who would give an advisory opinion and had their concerns addressed. The leadership was always male because a male fighter could always fight the existing chief for chieftainship and the women did not fight for leadership.

This is revisionist history written by liberals.

 

[norwegen]

This seems implausible, like they're skewering history. Supreme rulers were men. Moctezuma, for example, ruled the biggest city in the Americas when he met Hernán Cortés. And women did not marry more than one man, although men married more than one woman. In some groups, women were even killed and buried with their husbands when they died, particularly if their husbands were shamans.

And speaking of Hernán Cortés, both he and Christopher Columbus were well aware that European monarchs were often women. They answered to both Queen Isabella and Prince Ferdinand.

 

[longknife]

Here's a wide variety of sites where you can explore the position of women in American Indian societies @ women in american indian society - Bing

Of the variety is this, a most interesting read and explanation.