Page "Matriarchy" Paragraph 28

In our society, women are the center of all things.

Nature, we believe, has given women the ability to create ; therefore it is only natural that women be in positions of power to protect this function .... We traced our clans through women ; a child born into the world assumed the clan membership of its mother.

Our young women were expected to be physically strong .... The young women received formal instruction in traditional planting .... Since the Iroquois were absolutely dependent upon the crops they grew, whoever controlled this vital activity wielded great power within our communities.

It was our belief that since women were the givers of life they naturally regulated the feeding of our people .... In all countries, real wealth stems from the control of land and its resources.

Our Iroquois philosophers knew this as well as we knew natural law.

To us it made sense for women to control the land since they were far more sensitive to the rhythms of the Mother Earth.

We did not own the land but were custodians of it.

Our women decided any and all issues involving territory, including where a community was to be built and how land was to be used .... In our political system, we mandated full equality.

Our leaders were selected by a caucus of women before the appointments were subject to popular review .... Our traditional governments are composed of an equal number of men and women.

The men are chiefs and the women clan-mothers .... As leaders, the women closely monitor the actions of the men and retain the right to veto any law they deem inappropriate .... Our women not only hold the reigns of political and economic power, they also have the right to determine all issues involving the taking of human life.

Declarations of war had to be approved by the women, while treaties of peace were subject to their deliberations.