BELOVED WOMBMENS HERSTORY MONTH "GHIGUA" "HOLITOPA ISHKI

"BELOVED WOMBMEN" were Honored & Respected amoungst our Ancestors. "Great Mystery "Great Mother of All" Revealed herself as Supernatural Wombmen to All AbOriginal, Indigenous Nations, Tribes as a "MOTHER" who nurtured, taught, guided and equipt them on the "Essentials" for Survival & Wisdom to ensure a Healthly , Abundant, Protected "WHOLENESS Lifestyle. SHE was their FIRST TEACHER!

S/O 2 ALL THE #BELOVED WOMBMEN #WOMBMENSHERSTORYMONTH

#Aniyunwiya Honored & Respect "The Beloved Wombmen" #Ghigua were chosen by each clan to attend the Council of Women yearly. They were chosen for their bravery in battle or outstanding qualities, and it was the highest honor they could receive. The Ghigua headed the Council of Women and held a voting seat in the Council of Chiefs. The Ghigua was given the responsibility of prisoners and would decide their fate. She also had the right to be her people's sage and guide. Another of the Beloved Woman's duties was as ambassador, or peace negotiator It is said...Nancy Ward was the last Ghigua.

THIS HERSTORY/HISTORY IS SO #Beautiful & RAW, I HAD TO SHARE!!! S/O, RESPECT 2 MY Own "Holitopa Ishki," BELOVED, WOMBMEN (MOM Hummingbird, GRANDMOTHERS Rosie,Reo,Hattie & Beyond) AHO!

"SACRED ROLE OF THE BELOVED WOMBMEN CLAN MOTHERS"

"...In many tribes it was the women who held much power and were highly esteemed. For example, with the Cherokee, when a couple married it was the man who went to live with the woman, it was her house. If they divorced, which the woman could enact, she did this by simply putting his shoes and or other belongings out of her house. When she did this the marriage was officially over and the children remained with her. The husband took nothing except what he brought into the house with him during the marriage. This is just a small example of only one tribe of several that demonstrates the power that women yielded. It has been said that he who runs the house rules the roost. From this point I'd like to share some general information regarding the role of our Female Elders who where know as "Clan Mothers or Beloved Women". Their places within the tribes were quite different from that of women within early European societies, as their women did not hold such roles of distinction. European Women were actually in the majority of instances subservient to the authority of the man. Contrary to this practice, for example within the...

• Iroquois Nation women have always had an honored place in society. In the Iroquois society, women had the power of many things. In many societies throughout history and around the world, women have not been treated equally and given equal rights to men. However, the Iroquois society has always treated women equally and given them a lot of power and important jobs since their wisdom and skills have always been respected by the Iroquois people. One of the main things that Iroquois women controlled was choosing the chiefs of clans and removing them if they didn't properly fulfill their jobs. Women voted to decide which men were in the Great Council although they could not run it themselves. The Iroquois women could start and stop wars. If someone said things that clashed with the Women's Council, they could replace them. If the men wanted to go on a journey that the women did not approve, they would refuse to give them food and supplies. All of the lineage of the Iroquois tribe went back to one woman and the family name passed through the women's family. Women had the rights to the land they farmed and each clan divided their land plots among the women. Women owned all the normal things of everyday life such as blankets, cooking utensils, farming tools, and so on. All that the men owned were their clothes, weapons, and personal things. Women had many important jobs in the Iroquois tribe such as planting and harvesting the crops, collecting wild nuts and berries, making clothes, clay pots and baskets, taking care of the homes and the children. One of the most important jobs was being a Clan Mother. The Clan Mother was the oldest and/or most respected woman and had all the power over the clan. The Clan Mother could choose and remove the Chief of the clan who was called a "Sachem". The women worked well together and men and women worked well in cooperation together too.

• The role of the Cherokee Beloved Women The Cherokee were a matrilineal (tracing family relations through the mother) society, and thus their fields had always been controlled by women. Women of great influence became known as Beloved Women, often working behind the scenes in shaping decisions. The role of Ghigau or Beloved Woman was the highest one to which a Cherokee woman could aspire. The name Ghigau or Beloved Woman also translates as “War Woman” and was usually awarded to women warriors (or warriors’ mothers or widows), Much responsibility went with the many privileges of the rank Among the privileges of the Beloved Woman were voice and vote in General Council, leadership of the Women’s Council, the honor of preparing the Black Drink tea used in ceremonies to purify. It was given to warriors before battle. They also had the right to save a prisoner already condemned to execution. The Cherokee Beloved women could exercise all of these rights and in addition to this they would serve as their people's sage (wise person) and guide. Another of the Beloved Woman’s duties was as ambassador, or peace negotiator.

• The role of the Lakota Clan Mothers or Beloved Women Lakota women had many roles within the Lakota camp circle. They were the foundation of the camp while men seemed to dominate it was the grandmothers who had to be asked for their advice for their permission to do things such as a scouting party, to go to battle, or other things. The women made the clothes from the buffalo, elk, deer, and other game hunted by the men. The women also had their own societies such as the men the women had societies that made the tipi's or the lodges that they lived in and they had a group for quill work and bead work. The women were not only the care takers of the home they helped defend it. You weren't considered a good Lakota woman if you couldn't hunt, and fight with the men. women had their "utility" belt that had their awl, knife, strike-a-light bag and a bag that had everything she would need to sew. They were amazing at identifying plants and knowing when to pick and eat or use for medicines or other uses. Every plant had a use and what we commonly call "weeds" all actually have a medicinal use or are useful in other ways. They were the teachers of the home and passed on traditions orally through stories and songs.

• The Role of Chahta (Choctaw) Beloved Women Before colonization, women held positions of great respect, esteem, and power within Choctaw society. Women were recognized as the givers and supporters of life. We can get some idea of the sacredness in which this role was viewed, through the Choctaw word "hollo," which refers to the feminine essence. From this term, stem other Choctaw words such as "ihollo," meaning to love, "hullochi", to sanctify, and "holitopa," beloved or holy. In the traditional Choctaw way of thinking, women in general and mothers in particular, were likened onto the earth, which makes life possible by providing gifts of sustenance, shelter, and even the physical bodies we live in. Women did the same for their families. A common name for Nvnih Waiya, (the great mound in Mississippi that according to ancient Choctaw creation stories that the Choctaw originated. It is the most sacred place on the landscape for early Choctaws. It is known as "Holitopa Ishki," or "Beloved Mother." Clearly Choctaw women were beloved. Some of the virtues that Choctaw society valued highly in women and mothers are evident in common names that Choctaw women carried. A number of these names contain the word "ima" meaning "to give." For example, Hotima means, "she who looks for and gives," Pisatima means "she who sees and gives," Chumpatima, "she who buys and gives." Other common Choctaw women's names end with "ona," meaning, "to arrive here." An example is Hotona, which means "she who seeks and arrives." These and other names show us that early Choctaw women were respected for demonstrating the virtues of generosity, industry, and perseverance. Just as today, early Choctaw women fulfilled many vital roles for their communities, families, and tribe. Central to all of these roles was that of life-giver. Expectant women were revered. Husbands fasted for them, and children who dared to poke fun at an expectant mother's growing belly stood the risk of being reprimanded severely by elders. Women secluded themselves at the time of delivery. This was considered the height of the female power, and men were not allowed in the vicinity for fear of harm coming to them and to the baby. In traditional Choctaw society, family lines followed the female rather than the male side, exactly the opposite from Euro-American society. Choctaw individuals inherited their Iksa and clan from their mother. During tribal functions, the children sat at the fire of their mother's family, while the father sat at a separate fire with his own siblings, and the children of his sisters. The family house and most of what was inside it was considered to be the property of the women. If a couple chose to break up, the man would take his weapons and move into the house of his own family, and the children would go with the mother. If a wife died, the property went to her children and biological family, not to her husband. Similarly in the event of a mother's death, the children went with the mother's family, not with their father. Choctaw women worked hard to support their families with a particular confidence and dignity. Women produced the majority of the food eaten by their families. Assisted by males during field-clearing and harvest, it was only fitting that women, the givers of life, had sole charge of the fields during the growing season. In fact, according to some Choctaw oral traditions, it was a supernatural woman, Ohoyoosh Chishba, who gifted corn to the Choctaw people in the first place. Besides gardening, women gathered greens, fresh fruit, vegetables, tubers and nuts from the woods to balance their families' nutrition. They prepared and served it too. Although they got a lot accomplished, their domestic work was not that of a slave to their husbands. Far to the contrary, Choctaw women often worked in groups with singing, laughter, and gossip that made the tasks enjoyable. Many early Choctaw women were fantastic artists. They made basic, everyday utensils and articles of domestic life with a creativity and artistry hat is truly inspiring. Women were the primary creators and custodians of the Choctaw arts of basketry, textiles, and pottery. Choctaw girls practiced these arts so that they would be able to have their pick of young men for a husband when they came of age. Women often went with their men on diplomatic missions to other tribes and to Euro-American groups. Some European commentators believed that it was a mark of savagery for Choctaw men to bring women with them, rather than leaving them at home where they would be protected. However, from a Choctaw perspective, this was simply a sign of the importance that women had in Choctaw society, and of the confidence that was placed in these women. Sometimes in order to establish friendly relationships with other groups at these meetings, a ceremony was conducted in which Choctaw women adopted individuals from the other group into their own clans, making them family. This not only necessitated the presence of women at such meetings, but also meant that they had a real say in what was taking place. Similarly, it was women who made the choice of whether or not to adopt war captives into their families, and ultimately into the Choctaw tribe. Choctaw women often served as motivators for their families and communities, and did whatever was necessary to support them. Some women served as Alikchi, or doctors. Sometimes, Choctaw women temporarily accepted the role of chief when their husbands died; hereditary power is said to have been passed to girls when there were no male heirs. Although it was the man's role to protect the community, fight, and if necessary, kill, there are records of Choctaw women carrying weapons to protect their families, tracking fleeing enemies, and carrying their husband's quiver of arrows and shouting encouragement to him on the battlefield. In 1541, at a place called Mabilla, a battle was fought between the ancestors of today's Choctaw people and an army of Spanish Conquistadors led by Hernando De Soto. The Spanish chroniclers record that after most of the Choctaw warriors had fallen, the women picked up their fallen husband's and father's weapons and fought the Spanish to the last woman rather than give up their liberty and honor. To this day, the Choctaw war dance, unlike those of many other tribes, involves women as well as men. As you have just read our traditional women carried much weight, bore much authority, were filled with great wisdom and walked in much beauty and strength..."

SOURCE: Great Spirit, Great Mystery & (SACRED Role of the Clan Mothers or the Beloved Women) By: Talako (Gray Eagle) Mississippi Chahta (Oklafalaya) & Christina "Golanv GigageTawodi Tlvdatsi Xi" Raven RedtailHawk Jaguar Xi