Clan Mother
Encyclopedia
Clanmothers are the Elder Women of an Iroquois
Clan
, who are in charge of appointing Tribal Chief
s and Faithkeepers.
Each clan should have one Clanmother who should all work together. Each clanmother has a Faithkeeper who is responsible for ceremonial preparations, weddings, funerals, and other rituals. The Clanmothers are usually the elder women, who are wise and have experienced many years. Clanmothers control the nation. They are considered the life givers.Not only did they appoint thetribal chief (also called the hoyaneh) but they also watched them during all meetings judging them fairly to make sure they were not voting for themselves, but the whole tribe. If one did not meet these expectations, he would immeadiatly get thrown out of power and the clan mother would choose a new hoyaneh. It was a great shame to be kicked out of power by the clan mothers.
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
Clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
, who are in charge of appointing Tribal Chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
s and Faithkeepers.
Each clan should have one Clanmother who should all work together. Each clanmother has a Faithkeeper who is responsible for ceremonial preparations, weddings, funerals, and other rituals. The Clanmothers are usually the elder women, who are wise and have experienced many years. Clanmothers control the nation. They are considered the life givers.Not only did they appoint thetribal chief (also called the hoyaneh) but they also watched them during all meetings judging them fairly to make sure they were not voting for themselves, but the whole tribe. If one did not meet these expectations, he would immeadiatly get thrown out of power and the clan mother would choose a new hoyaneh. It was a great shame to be kicked out of power by the clan mothers.