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DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS Acknowledgements She:kon. There are so many people to thank for the development of this book. I would like to first thank the writer/author Chezney Martin, who was fresh out of secondary school on a summer job with the Ontario Native Literacy Coalition compliments of the Canadian Summer Job Program. A Nia:wen Kowa to the Elders who shared their knowledge with Chezney: Elva Jamieson, Rick Hill, Germaine General-Myke and Arnold Jacobs. To Elizabeth Doxtator of Everything Cornhusks and to Barbara Miller: your passion for this project is unmatched, Nia:wen. And to all who contributed to the first of the series of Indigenous Women’s Roles, our first being from the Haudenosaunee Perspective Educational Kit, we also say Nia:wen. Michelle Davis ONLC Executive Director This project was funded by the Ontario Government 1 DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS 2 DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction .................................................................. 5 The Creation Story ......................................................... 8 The Great Law ............................................................. 14 The Creation of the Clans ............................................. 27 Connectional Introduction with Rick Hill ....................... 31 Nurturing, Cultivating and Childbearing, with Elva Jamieson ................................................. 35 Present Day: Cultural Reverberation with Germaine General-Myke .................................. 40 Isabel, the “Canoe at Rest,” with Arnold Jacobs ............ 42 Biographies ................................................................. 47 3 DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS 4 DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS INTRODUCTION Perhaps it comes as no surprise that the sudden increase in the Aboriginal population has captured the attention of few. However, the fantasy of cowboys and Indians has swirled in the minds of youth since it was introduced onto the silver screen in the early 1950s. It may come as no surprise, as well, that the idea for a television show depicting a derivative of cowboys and Indians was taken from true battles. Although hardly advertised, the genocidal measures taken toward the “Indians,” were quite significant in the death of many diverse cultures in the Americas, Central America being the first target. As colonies were established, many cultures scattered throughout the Americas were exterminated. Along with the finding of gold, rich biodiversity and plentiful resources, the new settlers’ pursuit of ownership of the land left behind only ruins. As European colonies made their way northward, the settlers uncovered even more culturally diverse nations and bands. After depleting their own resources in Europe, the newcomers’ need for wealth and provisions seemed to outweigh any logical thought. Also, the shipment of convict settlers in the first boats to “The New World,” only fuelled the speed with which the European settlers conquered the vast North American region. In this time, the power of religion reigned far above any other force in Europe. The detainment and punishment to back up the common religion of Catholicism, seemed to instill fear and cooperation into most Europeans. Yet, imagine arriving in this new world that was mysterious and enchanting. The air would have been fresh, the water clear and the land bountiful— perhaps the exact opposite of the previous country you had lived in. It would be easy to become intoxicated by the very experience. In North America, however, it was a slightly different story. Along with the shift to colder weather, Northern settlers came face to face with the Haudenosaunee. Five bands consisting of the 5 DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Mohawk and Seneca Nations reigned over the length of Lake Ontario. Each of these nations was strongly constituted by the Great Law and a matrilineal society, and held expansive knowledge of the surrounding land. However, as the relationship between Europeans and the Haudenosaunee progressed, the introduction of alcohol, the fur trade and language evolved into genocidal assimilation. The newcomers’ enforcement of residential school systems, raids and loss of status corrupted and almost destroyed the traditional way of life for the Five Nations. In the midst of the dominant society consuming the minority, a definite gender separation occurred, along with the adoption of the nuclear family. The strong voice women had held in the Haudenosaunee society was attacked. The patriarchal conduct of the Europeans integrated into the Haudenosaunee people through simple contact, and this sexism was defined in the laws of the time. “Enfranchisement” became a devised course of assimilation in the 1920s, concluding that “Aboriginal women, if they married non-Indian men or if their Indian husbands died or abandoned them.” (Karrmen Crey, Indigenous Foundations) would lose their Indian status. On the other side, however, a non-native woman could marry a native man and gain Indian status. It can be speculated that Aboriginal women have had a much harder time adapting and becoming accepted into the society that now dominates North America. However, this selection of stories emphasizes the role of Haudenosaunee women, in particular, and their evolving roles in the society around them—from a Clanmother to a medicine woman living to help her community. This selection broadens the expanse that is the horizon of Aboriginal women’s achievements. 6 DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS STORY INTRODUCTION Before introducing the Haudenosaunee women of today and of the past, three stories have been selected as the basis for understanding Haudenosaunee culture. To help read the stories, three terms are important to note. The Haudenosaunee, or “The People of the Longhouse,” possess three titles. Two of these titles are rightly self-proclaimed, while one is perceived as undesirable. The first is “Haudenosaunee”, the second of the two is “Onkwe:honwe”, meaning “The Original People,” in Mohawk, while the third is “Iroquois”, meaning “poisonous snakes,” in Algonquin influenced by French. “Iroquois” is believed to be an Algonquin word with which the French named the Haudenosaunee, and is influenced by the history of the Haudenosaunee being mutual, eternal enemies with the Algonquin. With a brief history of the Haudenosaunee name, the true history lies not within the titles, but in the stories the people shared through oral tradition. The stories written in this selection are The Creation Story, The Great Law and The Creation of the Clans. Each of these stories coincides with the others and together they form the background to Haudenosaunee culture. The stories of the Haudenosaunee were taught and heard by word of mouth, and, at times, the stories would be burned or carved into stone or wood in linguistically created hieroglyphics. Each of these stories has been reviewed by Alisha Thomas, or Kanonkwi:ne (Ga-new-qui-nay), for the best quality. If you have an understanding of these stories, you will have a much deeper understanding of the culture itself. 7 DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS THE CREATION STORY The significance in Haudenosaunee culture of The Creation Story, lies in the tie to the earth the Haudenosaunee are known for. Along with the explanation of the creation of good and evil, the story also illustrates matrilineal nature and culture, as the earth is created by a woman. Throughout this discourse, women play a large role in the creation of life, and the creation of the world as it is today, in Haudenosaunee belief. Before the creation of the earth and mankind, it is strongly believed by the Haudenosaunee, Birth of the Earth - Arnold Jacobs the earth was surrounded by water. This is where their creation story begins. In a time of desolation, water engulfed the planet, leaving it suitable only for creatures of the sea and air, but, above the water in the Sky World, lived the Sky People. In the Sky World stood the tree of life, a tree that grew the many fruits growing around the world today. The Sky People were forbidden to harm the tree, but could help themselves to the fruits growing upon its branches. Sky Woman and her husband thrived in the Sky World, and found themselves expecting a child. As her pregnancy lengthened, Sky Woman began feeling the pangs of craving. She called to her husband and he quickly came to her, out of worry that she might be in labour. He knelt at her bedside and asked her what was wrong. “Husband,” she said, “I crave the roots of the tree of life to make a tea.” 8 DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS Sky Woman knew her husband was strong, and could do the job in a shorter time than she could, as she carried a child. She also anticipated his disbelief, but she desired a tea that would help her through her pregnancy. After a short argument, he agreed to please her with the upheaval of the tree roots. He set out for the tree, with tools in hand. Sky Woman awaited his return. At first she was patient, but, after what seemed an eternity, she decided to go after him. She stormed out of the longhouse, irritated by his indolence. She did not call his name, or look for him. Instead, she approached the tree of life. At the base of the tree she could see her husband’s tools, lying in the grass as though they had been tossed there in certainty they would not be seen. She drew closer, to pick up her husband’s abandoned tools, and found an opening deep in the earth. The hole seemed deeper and darker than any hole she had ever seen, and she feared her husband had fallen in. She held the jutting roots of the tree for leverage and leaned into the hole. Far below her, she saw the shimmer of water. As she was about to call for her husband, she leaned too far in, and the roots she held snapped. With a scream, she fell through the hole. It is said that as she fell, she looked back and saw her husband peering into the hole from the Sky World.

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