The Role of the Accohannock Clan Mother
First and foremost, the Clan Mother is the head of the family, the one responsible for the welfare of the Clan. She wears many hats, and holds a lot of responsibility. It is not a job to be taken lightly, but one that holds many rewards and satisfaction. It is a role of honor. Being a Matriarchal Tribe, The Clan Mother sits alongside the Chief in making all decision aspects of tribal functions. She is to attend and approve all meetings, events, tribal functions All tribal decisions goes through the Clan Mother.. If the Clan Mother (s) disagree, the decision needs to be discussed until the decision is made for the better of all the tribe.
Traditionally, the Clan Mother role is one of hereditary. The position fell to the oldest woman of the Clan. It would usually be passed on to her female relatives. She would look first to her eldest sisters, then other sisters, then eldest daughter and then other daughters, to find the one deemed most appropriate to become the next Clan Mother. In today’s time, since many family members move away or choose to follow a different path, the position of Clan Mother would be passed down to the woman considered most eligible. She must be a patient teacher, someone who upholds the traditions of the tribal People and her Clan and whose thoughts and actions are for the good of all, not just one. The size of the tribe would determine how many Clans there were. All the Clan Mothers must be able to work together as a team, and therefore they would be role models for their Clans in working together.
In the Eastern Woodland tradition, we are a Matriarchal society. In other words, the family, its land, and most of the possessions belonged to the women. When they got married, the man would move into his wife’s home and become a member of her Clan. The only possessions the man owned would be his clothing and weapons. Should there be a divorce, he would leave with what he brought into the marriage, his clothes and weapons.
The Clan Mother can be called “The Balance Keeper”, for if all was out of balance, the family and their daily lives would not run smoothly. It is her duty to educate her family of the family structure, the ins and outs of daily living, and the “laws” concerning appreciation, respect and love. She would also teach and uphold the traditions of her own Clan. Each Clan would have its own traditions and ceremonies. The Wolf Clan would have its own Wolf ceremonies; the Turtle Clan would have its own Turtle ceremonies, and so on.
Since the Clan Mothers are the balance keepers of the tribal group as a whole, it is their role to choose a Chief and monitor his actions. The Chief and the Clan Mothers need to work together, to help one another, so this was a very important decision. If the Chief chose to do things his own way, chose not to listen or respect the advise of the Clan Mothers, then it was up to them to get him back on track, or, if necessary, impeach him. Clan Mothers would also nominate those who would sit on Council. These groups of people are the advisors within the Tribe. Since all these positions are important ones to the People, it is vital to have the appropriate person in the appropriate position. Basic qualifications would include an open mind, the ability to see beyond the obvious, a heart for all the People and be able to work with one another.
Keeping life’s balance within the Clan takes on many directions. It is the Clan Mother’s responsibility to teach the rules of the home, spirituality, traditions and ceremonies and respect of other family members and nature. Although everyone within the Clan would be responsible for the care and basic upbringing of the children, it was the Clan Mother who steered the children to learn whatever their natural talents were. If one was an exceptional singer, for instance, Clan Mother would “match” them with an adult who could teach them the songs; same with dancers, bow makers, etc… Traditionally, it was Clan Mother who would name the children when they were born. Now, however, since members of the Clan have their own families and do not physically live within the Clan structure, the naming of the children falls to their parents. Clan Mother must also be sure that each member of the Clan does not let their ego become a ruling factor. Every Clan member is important to the structure of this family unit, and each has a talent that is important in its own way. Clan Mother makes use of these talents to keep the harmony and balance of the Clan.
Clan Mother is in charge of the food. Traditionally, she taught the proper way to plant, harvest, store and prepare food in an efficient manner. Then as now, she makes sure that no one goes without. If one group has more than another, she makes sure everyone shares. It is her responsibility to be sure there is enough food and the proper food for special occasions and ceremonies. In today’s times, since many Clan members no longer live together in the same area, it is up to Clan Mother to coordinate the bringing of food whenever the Clan gathers. Should one not be able to bring food because of whatever reason, it is up to the Clan member to notify Clan Mother. There are no repercussions for she understands that all members have situations arise in their daily lives.
Clan Mother is responsible for counseling and discipline. Again, balance within the family is essential to its success. A tightly knit family, entwined physically, emotionally and spiritually is fine-tuned to each other. It is in keeping the balance that Clan Mother becomes counselor. Her love for each Clan member, her clear mind and her gift of reasoning is the perfect foil to our problems. It is to her the Clan members must speak with, and if she feels additional help is needed by the Pipe Carrier or the Elder, or any other member of Council, then she will call them into help. She does not involve other family members for that would break a trust. Discipline, although unpleasant, is sometime a necessity. If a trust is broken, a story is found to be false or spread, respect or tradition is ignored or a hurt is purposely done, then it is Clan Mother’s job to handle the situation as she sees fit. It is respect of each other and our traditions that keep us in harmony, which in turn, keeps us within the balance of life and love for and with each other.
Today’s Clan Mother is not much different than our Ancestral Clan Mother. although there are some traditions of the Clan Mother (and respected older women) that are no longer practiced because of the times we live in. These would be : the right to adopt foreigners or prisoners; power to grant life or death, or torture of prisoners; power to forbid brothers and sons from going to war.
To sum it all up, Clan Mother is just that, a mother, and a tribal leader who is to be respected as a mother as well as a tribal leader in the Matriarchal tribe. She is firm when she needs to be, but is more often loving, and has the family as her first priority. A demanding role, most definitely, but one of reward, for she can look back and see what her patient teaching, guiding hand and loving heart has done for each individual person and the Clan as a whole. Where would we be without her?
