IndexIntroductionFamily LifeWarPoliticsThe Scattering/Important WomenConclusionIntroductionWhen you look at history, there is something that the Wyandots knew that most other cultures are only recently discovering. This is the importance of a balanced society in which both men and women are fully capable of contributing their skills and talents to the community. In this article I will focus specifically on the Daughters of Aataentsic in Wendat society and the roles they have played over time. The term "Daughters of Aataentsic" comes from the story of Wendat's creation. This story takes place in a time when the world was still covered in water. The animals saw the Sky Woman, also known as Aataentsic, fall from the sky. To save her, the animals began piling mud from the ocean floor onto the back of a turtle. They helped her land safely on the small land continent they had prepared (Labelle). The fact that the entire story of Wendat's creation is based on a woman reminds us that women have always been respected in this society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Family Life The Wendat were a matrilineal society, meaning that all of their clans were based on female lineage. When a man and a woman married, the man went to live in the woman's long house. If a chief died, his sister's son would be next in line in place of his own son. Furthermore, if there came a point where there was no clear successor, the matron deemed the most noble in the clan would choose the next leader. The long house and all the objects in it belonged to the woman who was the head of the family. If she died, her eldest daughter or closest relative would inherit these assets. In contrast, a man's possessions were defined as items that only he used, such as clothing and hunting and fishing tools (Steckly). Women also controlled the community's fields and were responsible for the harvest. They were the ones who decided when the time would be right to move. This usually happened when the crop was too small and the land was overworked (Judith). WarWhen it comes to war, to someone unfamiliar with the inner workings of the Wendat, it might seem as if the men were in full control. This is because the war councils were made up entirely of men. In fact, women played a significant role in the culture of war. In most cases, women decided whether or not their tribe should go to war. The main reason why women started war was when their family had suffered a great loss and they wanted a prisoner from another tribe to take the place of their loved one. To do this, a woman would select a war chief and ask him to call a war council to petition on her behalf to go to war. The outcome of the petition depended largely on the public speaking skills and social status of the military leader, making it imperative for the woman to choose her representative carefully. The woman with the main authority in her family could decide whether or not her children would participate in the war. Women also had the power to veto the war council's decision to go to war if their reasons were not strong enough. Since women could control whether the tribe went to war and how many children went to war, they had a lot of say in what the outcome would be. An example of this has been recognized in the writingsof the Jesuit. They spoke of a certain very high-ranking woman who said that the tribe would not make any decisions without consulting her first. In addition to having a great influence in the decision to go to war, women also helped in any way they could when the tribe was in trouble. in combat. They played an important role in producing the food and weapons needed for the tribe to succeed. Additionally, women had full control over what happened to prisoners of war. A Jesuit wrote that when a prisoner was assigned to a certain matron, if she wanted him to live, she would do so, even if the whole village wished otherwise (Labelle). All these examples demonstrate that women had much more power than it might seem to an outsider. Politics Women and men also shared significant influence in the politics of the tribe. It is important to note that their society should not be considered a matriarchy or patriarchy because neither men nor women had exclusive influence. Although the women were not part of the general council, they always discussed what needed to be talked about in the general council before it happened, passed on what they discussed to the leaders, who then passed it on to the rest of the general council during their meeting (Steckly) . Dispersal/important women The Wendat's attempted colonization greatly influenced the role of women. For a long time the Wendat had had a form of equality between men and women. The Europeans were not used to this and eventually some of their traditions began to influence the tribe, making it more difficult for women to maintain their position. With the increasing spread of diseases and the absence of cures, many began to turn to Christianity and baptism in the hope that it would cure them. This became very harmful to women because Christianity was full of patriarchal practices, which left little room for women to maintain their original influence. There were many strong Wendat women who fought this change to defend their beliefs. Tarentande's mother, an influential village head, was a prime example. She fought the conversion with all of herself. She had been baptized when she was younger, but until her death she continually declared how much she regretted it. Her opposition did not give up when she was ill. Missionaries came to see her, hoping that she would confirm that she was grateful for her baptism, but she forcefully refuted them. He remained strong and true to his Wendat traditions until his death. The women faced increasingly difficult decisions as their options consisted of accepting Christianity, which could involve much backlash and isolation from their village, or continually rejecting Christianity, which was what had been done up to this point. However, the dispersal occurred precisely in this period and completely changed the situation. The differences in Wendat views on Christianity before and after the dispersal were quite drastic. Instead of seeing Christianity as the downfall of women's influence in the community, it became one of the sources they used to continue contributing to their tribe. Women relied on Christianity, resettlement negotiations, and their role in family life to maintain their impact. Unlike other tribes, Wendat women were very involved in the decision to resettle and played an important role in convincing the Jesuits to go with them. The Jesuits created a group called “Women of the Holy Family” which gave Wendat Christian women the platform to help those in the tribe who were in need and continue their role as caregivers. This group has helped many people of the tribe to.