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While it's true that in some societies some women were in position power, it does not mean that woman as a class eschewed domination. IIRC in the Iroquois conf

While it's true that in some societies some women were in position power, it does not mean that woman as a class eschewed domination. IIRC in the Iroquois confederation, women were organized as one of society's pole, the economic domestic one, and had power in times of war because war needs the collaboration of the whole society. It is also hard to say if that they had always had that power or gained it during war times. In any case, they were/are statistically rare. Also although many societies are matrilineal it does not means that the society is not male dominated. It is a sad conclusion of anthropology that the, often times ruthless, domination of women by men has been for a long time a constant of human history.

OrvalWintermute 5y ago
> While it's true that in some societies some women were in position power, it does not mean that woman as a class eschewed domination. IIRC in the Iroquois confederation, women were organized as one of society's pole, the economic domestic one, and had power in times of war because war needs the collaboration of the whole society. It is also hard to say if that they had always had that power or gained it during war times. In any case, they were/are statistically rare. That is not correct. > When the 5 nations needed to make a critical decision, such as going to war, they would decide via the Grand Council. Representatives of each clan called Sachems conducted the council meetings themselves. > The Sachems were voted to their political positions by their designated Clan Mothers, the matrilineal hereditary leaders of their nations, and were perceived by the Haudenosaunee as sacred leaders. Women were seen as almost divine beings, albeit for practical reasons that aided their society’s survival..... > Although the chiefs held most of the political power and day to day governance, the Clan Mother possessed the power to dismiss the chief if she and other Mothers felt he was doing a poor job. > Chiefs handled civic matters, others took care of military operations, and Sachems acted as a Congress to vote on decisions for the Confederacy at the councils. Making the chiefs and sachems more akin to elected officials and not the monarchal leaders we often associate with today in indigenous culture. [1] This shows that the role of the clan mothers was more similar to a permanent parliament that could form local executives (chiefs), dismiss them at will, and controlled the decision-making for the confederation by selecting representative decisionmakers for the grand council. This has some similarities to the Italian style parliament, with permanent members dominating the government. [1] https://historyhustle.com/iroquois/ https://historyhustle.com/iroquois/
c048 5y ago
Yes, and that was mostly due to biological factors combined with societal needs and the general repression of all genders outside of places of power. E.g. why were female knights not common? Because knights were given land and in return were expected to answer their lord's summons. A woman that is pregnant cannot answer the summons and must send a delegate to lead her men. I hope I don't need to explain to you the drama and turmoil a no-show like that might lead to, both in military and political terms. Instead, the wives were (usually) the second in commands, and lorded over the lands in the absence of their husbands.

OrvalWintermute 5y ago

> While it's true that in some societies some women were in position power, it does not mean that woman as a class eschewed domination. IIRC in the Iroquois confederation, women were organized as one of society's pole, the economic domestic one, and had power in times of war because war needs the collaboration of the whole society. It is also hard to say if that they had always had that power or gained it during war times. In any case, they were/are statistically rare. That is not correct. > When the 5 nations needed to make a critical decision, such as going to war, they would decide via the Grand Council. Representatives of each clan called Sachems conducted the council meetings themselves. > The Sachems were voted to their political positions by their designated Clan Mothers, the matrilineal hereditary leaders of their nations, and were perceived by the Haudenosaunee as sacred leaders. Women were seen as almost divine beings, albeit for practical reasons that aided their society’s survival..... > Although the chiefs held most of the political power and day to day governance, the Clan Mother possessed the power to dismiss the chief if she and other Mothers felt he was doing a poor job. > Chiefs handled civic matters, others took care of military operations, and Sachems acted as a Congress to vote on decisions for the Confederacy at the councils. Making the chiefs and sachems more akin to elected officials and not the monarchal leaders we often associate with today in indigenous culture. [1] This shows that the role of the clan mothers was more similar to a permanent parliament that could form local executives (chiefs), dismiss them at will, and controlled the decision-making for the confederation by selecting representative decisionmakers for the grand council. This has some similarities to the Italian style parliament, with permanent members dominating the government. [1] https://historyhustle.com/iroquois/ https://historyhustle.com/iroquois/

c048 5y ago

Yes, and that was mostly due to biological factors combined with societal needs and the general repression of all genders outside of places of power. E.g. why were female knights not common? Because knights were given land and in return were expected to answer their lord's summons. A woman that is pregnant cannot answer the summons and must send a delegate to lead her men. I hope I don't need to explain to you the drama and turmoil a no-show like that might lead to, both in military and political terms. Instead, the wives were (usually) the second in commands, and lorded over the lands in the absence of their husbands.