Sisters in Spirit: Iroquois Influence on Early Feminists

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Wagner, Sally Roesch.

Sisters in spirit: Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) influence on early American feminists / Sally Roesch Wagner.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 1-57067-121-4

1. Feminism--United States--History. 2. Feminism--Indian influences. 3. Women’s rights--United States--History. 4. Iroquois philosophy. I. Title.

HQ1410 .W35 2001
305.42’0973--dc21

2001003988

To my grandson, Tanner.
May your eyed always be clear
and your ears open.

Acknowledgments

This book is in your hand because of John Kahionhes Fadden. I was so convinced that anything a white woman wrote about Natives would get it wrong that I resolved not to publish anything in this area of research until I was askedto do so-by Native people. I met John at a conference in 1988. He walked out immediately after my paper, and I put my notes in my bag with sinking heart. He’d said everything I needed to know with his back. Others came up to visit and I was about to leave the hall when the door opened and back in came John. He smiled as he walked up to me. “You made me very happy with what you said.” My life changed with those words.

John asked for a few business cards to share with folks. When I returned home to California, there was an encouraging letter from his father, Ray, waiting for me. Calls came from other scholars (quickly friends) Bruce Johansen and Don Grinde, and soon, a note from Doug George requesting an article for
Akwesasne Notes.
I sent my conference paper—the first thing I published. Another conference at Cornell and Jose Barreiro asked for an article in
Northeast Indian Quarterly.
With two Native publications requesting work on this topic, I felt that perhaps I wasn’t getting it too wrong, and agreed to write an article for a feminist journal,
On the Issues,
working with friend John Stoltenberg, a brilliant editor. These three articles appear in rewritten form in this book.

Two other projects inform the book, both done during “Celebrate ’98,” that summer when eyes were fastened on Seneca Falls, New York, and the commemoration of the first woman’s rights convention held there 150 years before. There was a long-overdue thanks needed, it seemed to me, to the Haudenosaunee women for modeling the position women should occupy. Mary Ellen Snyder, Chief of Interpretation at the Women’s Rights National Historical Park, agreed, and arranged for me to write a curriculum for the Park: “Celebrating your Cultural Heritage by Telling the Untold Stories.” Mary Kelly Black thoughtfully edited it, while Vivien Rose, Pat Rittenhouse and Joanne Hanley supported it in various ways. Freida Jacques and Stephanie Waterman, from the Onondaga Nation, reviewed it, as did Art Einhorn and Vista Fundamental School in Simi Valley, California, Barbara Marino, Principal.

The title, “Sisters in Spirit,” came from an exhibit a group of us produced that summer: Edgar Brown and Robyn Hansen, Julie Uticone, Cheryl Frank and Linda Rosekrans. Bob Venables carefully shaped the words Robyn and I wrote, they will recognize some of them between these covers. The Elizabeth Cady Stanton Foundation sponsored the project, as did The Friends of Ganondagan, Wells College and Eastern National.

The late Alice Papineau generously and gently opened my eyes, as Audrey Shenandoah continues to do. Freida Jacques and her family feed my thoughts as we share meals (and do we ever eat well!)

This book owes everything to Gloria Marvin, who polished my words without ever changing the meaning. Denise Waterman suggested critical changes and held me to my voice, pointing out where I lost it, as only one who lives in an oral tradition would recognize. Laurie Carter Noble encouraged and Paul Waterman kept me laughing. Jerry Hutchens respected every hesitation and every attempt to avoid cultural intrusion, understanding and patiently midwifing the book, creating it in beauty as he wove the visual stories of John Kahionhes Fadden through my words. Jeanne Shenandoah sets the context, so that you may know the purpose of the book, and gifts me with her friendship as we lecture and work together. The words of Tehanetorens (Ray Fadden) begin and end the book, which brings me great honor. And finally, the crowning glory, David Kanietakeron Fadden, provided the cover art. Which seems just right. Three generations of a Mohawk family carry the book: Ray and his son, John, and his son, David. Adopted into the Wolf Clan of the Mohawk nation, Matilda Joslyn Gage would be pleased, I’m sure, as am I. This is the book Julie Uticone dreamed.

Friends all, thank you.

Sally Roesch Wagner

Introduction

For those of you who are reading this, we hope that the messages inside will help to open your eyes and ears to things that you may have never realized or even thought about, since this type of information has been withheld in the education of all the people. Hopefully it will help you to overcome stereotypes and misunderstandings and gain an appreciation of some of the teachings and behaviors of the Native people that allowed relationships to form between our peoples. These bonds created friendships and movements that made a difference in the future of many women’s lives.

We Haudenosaunee live within the traditional structure that we’ve always had, the structure of equality among all members of our community. Women, men, and children have equal spiritual, human, and political rights. We have equal opportunity to voice opinions or objections to any situation within our community, and we know that our voice will be heard.

And so, when we met these white women so long ago, I am sure that our women were probably shocked at the lack of human equality that these other women had to live under. And we, seeing them as equal—all women as equal—couldn’t understand how not only women, but women and children, were living under this totally oppressive situation. How people who had fled their homelands, for exactly the same reason, could appear here on our Turtle Island, our Mother Earth, and bring with them the exact same oppressive behaviors that they had experienced. For the men to walk, set foot on this land and say, “This is mine, I want this, I’m taking this,” is an example of how they were thinking.

Read this book and learn from it. It helps you to realize what women have gone through to make a stand for their rightful, equal place on earth. These women raised the children, gave them teachings and influenced them to be caring, respectful people—and still had energy to claim their place on earth, standing equal in all areas of life.

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