The Iroquois Women

[packman]

Women held a special role within the tribes, believed to be linked to the earth’s power to create life. The tribes were matrilineal whereby families moved into the longhouse of the mother and family lineage was traced from her.

Each tribe had a women’s council which took the initiative in all matters of public importance, including the nomination of members of the chief’s council, which was made up of both hereditary chiefs and additional members chosen for their abilities. Fifty hereditary chiefs from all five tribes constituted the league council, which ratified the nominations made by the women’s council.

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/iroquois-confederacy/

[canuckledragger]

1. And before anyone complains about the swastika...

...it was a symbol of peace long before the nazi's stole and perverted it.

[mopinko]

2. if you're gonna have a hereditary power structure, it HAS to be matrilineal. cuz

that's the only thing you know for sure. or did til dna.
evolutionary psychology posits that fear of being a cuckhold is men's deepest fear. so, let's put that front in center in the power structure. good idea, right?

it's no wonder such nations fail.

[shrike3]

4. Could it be linked to certain mammals who will kill the previous sire's offspring?

Lions will. A species of monkey (don't recall which) will. A human witnessed a wild stallion killing an orphan foal who wandered into the herd.

[H2O Man]

5. That is the one error

in what is cited in the OP. It was specifically non-hereditary, in the sense of father to son. It was based upon Clan representation, which includes a wider variety of options.

[mopinko]

9. how did it work, then?

[H2O Man]

11. Now, that's a great question!

No surprise, coming from you! (grin)

One needs to understand what resulted in the Clan system, and led to the tribe, then nation, or Confederacy. Rather than go into long detail, I'll just note that each step of the way included a balance between matriarchal and patriarchal tendencies. While lineal relationships were headed by women, meaning clan, tribe, and nation, there were and are efforts to avoid a single man lineage to hold power over generations, for they knew what had happened to the Ohio River Valley and Mississippi empires. The role of a chief is to serve his people, rather than be an elevated, wealthier class.

The roles on the various Councils and the Grand Council are perhaps hereditary in a sense few none-Iroquois know. Each position has a name and duties, handed down from the first Grand Council. Each is selected for specific roles, rather than, say, the exact same roles, although they try to coordinate with the others. More, when a chief dies or is de-horned, the Clan Mother isn't restricted to her own Clan. Say for example, the Turtle Clan at Onondaga, if there isn't an obvious choice, can either "borrow" or "adopt" a member of the Mohawk, Seneca, etc. Or they can do the same outside their Clan, if they want. Then that man is condoled to take on the role and its duties.

[shrike3]

3. The Creek were also matrilineal.

The woman owned the lodge. If she wanted to end her marriage, she put the man's things outside.

A white woman (her name escapes me) was abducted by the Creek. She ultimately refused to go home because she had more rights as a Creek woman than she did as a white settler.

[Doc Sportello]

6. Are you thinking of Mary Jemison

She actually became a member of the Seneca Nation but lived in later life on the Seneca's Buffalo Creek Reservation, but was not affiliated with the Creek Nation (or Muscogee) of the southeastern U.S. and now headquartered in Okmulgee OK.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Jemison

[shrike3]

7. No. This abduction involved the Creek.

I was doing research for a book at the time, and was struck by the story. She did eventually meet up with her white siblings again after a life as a Creek woman.

Captives refusing to go back was more common than people think. Part of it might have been Stockholm syndrome, but also life during early colonial times was very, very difficult. Their lives as white settlers might have been not much better than their lives as Indians. They might even have been worse. I seem to remember Howard Zinn writing about how early white settlements were plagued by desertions. Local tribes knew how to live in the environment and some made the pragmatic decision to join up, knowing they had a better chance of survival with the Indians.

Also, captives also formed bonds with their new Indian family. Married, had children. It's understandable why they didn't want to go back.

[H2O Man]

8. Right.

[Retrograde]

10. There were several

women who were taken by various tribes as children who then refused to go back to White civilization afterwards. Eunice Willilams in early 1700s Massechusetts, Cynthia Parker (mother of the Comanche chief Quanah) in mid 1800s Texas, Olive Oatman in mid 1800s Arizona/California are ones I've read about, and there were undoubtedly others. A few men, but mostly women, IIRC.

[shrike3]

12. Thanks for the additional examples.