BRIEF INTRODUCTION

Like all well-established cultures, First Nations tribal societies had well-developed and established hierarchical structures founded on a circular-based spirituality that was thousands of years in the making.  No-one was considered to be superior to another, it was simply understood that each person did what she/h was good at. In others, as long as each person's talents were recognized and celebrated, the tribes would hum for another day. 

In other words, the name of the game was survival, and it was incumbent upon each tribal member to know their strengths (and their weaknesses) and to contribute what they could so that the tribe would live and flourish for another day in an often harsh and unforgiving land.

Most historical research on the social structures of Native peoples are post-colonialist and show a strong paternal bias and reluctance to recognize the power of the matriarch. As a result, colonialism and paternalistic religions were largely responsible for devaluing matrilineal Native societies. 

As paternalistic religions started acquiring power through the acquisition of land, and the undermining of the strong female role in the tribes, men were then able to make and change laws. The new religions when coupled with the evolution of the written word primarily emphasized male deities. As a result, the degeneration of female power was rapidly underway, even though the tribes well understood that before there were Gods there were Goddesses!

In pre-contact tribal histories, the theme was 'Equal' not 'Dominant'.

FAMILY

Family was the cornerstone of the tribes.  Mothers, Fathers, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, Sons, Daughters, Nieces, Nephews, Brothers, Sisters, Cousins, Friends and Ancestors. The extended family included the other three colours of human as well, because the wise ones knew that the Red People would not be living alone on Turtle Island forever. Many stories speak of the coming of the others and the Red People were told to prepare for this inevitability. They were told to greet the visitors as they would any other family member - with an honour song, their best food, best blankets, and best places to rest.  

Native people more often than not, will greet people using the term "Cousin".  This recognizes that the person is part of the human family, but not close.  "Brother" and "Sister" are reserved for close friends and family.

- We are one family -

It seems only natural, therefore, that we should be living in harmony, peace and cooperation, working and caring for all our relations. This, Hiamovi understood when he spoke the following words:

"Traditional teaching are as elevant today as they were in the time of my Ancestors. They are blueprints for human behaviour - they connect us to the teachers of the natural and supernatural worlds, celestial beings, plants, animals, earth, air, fire, water -- respected equals, in other words,  whose unique traits provide models for living in a "good way." There are lessons to be learned from both the seen and unseen worlds -- to be passed down from generation to generation through songs, stories, sharing, caring, medicine wheel teachings and ceremony." 
(S. Thunderbird)

ELDERS

The Grandmothers and Grandfathers were among the most respected members of their communities.  They were highly valued as a direct link to their people's heritage and tradition. The Elders were usually the principle decision-makers in a community because of their wisdom and ability to create continuity by tying the past to the present and the future.  Without a written language, until the arrival of the Europeans, the Elders became the principle 'chroniclers' of their cultures, and as such carried most of the traditional teachings, memories and language, songs, ceremonies, and lifestyle.

In today's world, not all elderly Native people are considered Elders, because the trauma of pre-European contact history rendered many Native people unable to carry on their traditional knowledge and language.  There was a time when ALL would have been admitted to the Elder ranks, but with the intrusion of racist and oppressive laws and other conquering methods such as cultural genocide, residential schools, and disease, subsequent substance abuse, Native people lost the continuity of their culture, and many of the old ones tragically passed to the spirit world unable to communicate their knowledge.  (see residential schools)

Today, most Indigenous cultures have only a partial understanding of who they are and where they come from.  As a result, the abuse of what it is to be an Elder has become fairly widespread, as some so-called Elders set themselves up in this sacred and responsible position without having done their own healing work, but who have their own ideas of how Native nations should work which usually includes a rewriting of history which includes bogus rules particularly when it comes to the role of women.

For instructions on how to behave with an Elder 
or Traditional Teacher
 

Grandmother Teaching
"Our people respect our Elders. We value their wisdom and guidance. We provide for them as they provided for us, their children. Our grandparents strengthen our nation. We help them remain strong. for they can tell us about our past.  They can tell us who we are."

WOMEN

For more on Women

   MEN

Men made an enormous contribution to the safety and welfare of tribal communities. More often they were also leaders with some consensual decisionmaking power:

a) Warriors were highly valued in the tribes and given the onerous responsibilities of defense and protection. Their intimate knowledge of their physical surroundings, finely honed physical, teamwork  and logical skills made them naturals at defending the community;
b) Their main task was to defend the inner circle (women, children, elders), in particular, the 'giver of life' by all means necessary,
c) Wherein women made the decisions, the men executed them.  Women never said how it was to be done, but, simply that it had to be done.
d) They were builders, and where women created the stories, men told them.
e) Their ability to move silently and comfortably in their world was in the DNA. 

Men's bodies were powerful, complex, external physiologies.  Their physicality was also a metaphor for describing their territory, the outer-circle of tribal societies.  As a result, Men commanded the outer circle and handled the day-to-day protection and security of the tribes.  In this way, he was able to use his physical prowess, hunting skills, battle strategies and deep knowledge of the terrain to defend the community and to decide  HOW  and WHERE that defense was going to take place. The tribes hummed as  result of this cohesive and respectful teamwork. In other words, everyone was doing what they were good at.

A Grandmother Teaching
It is said that in every man has a bit of his mother, absorbed from her womb. So he has a bit of woman in him. But a man’s nature is to be a hunter and warrior, to achieve goals he sets for himself, and to possess what he desires. He fears the mother part of him because he thinks it weakens him. But that is the part which makes him a man rather than merely a predator.

We must encourage him not to be afraid of the bit of woman inside him. A man who is gentle proves he is strong enough to afford gentleness. A strong man, a warrior, a hunter, cannot have babies but he can create beautiful things. And he can protect us and make us love him.

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