By Mary Adair
The stories I had been told about an Irish trader, James
Adair, and his unusual adventures among the Native American tribes in the 1700s
had so intrigued me I could hardly wait to start writing a fictional account of
just such a man. I knew the woman to steal his heart had to be special. She had
to be strong and determined. She had to be brave, firm in her beliefs, and she
had to be a match for him.
I knew very little about the Cherokee woman of that time. Let’s
face it, a historical romance can be a bit fantastical, but I wanted the
Cherokee woman that would steal James Fitzgerald’s heart (my fictional version
of James Adair) to be true to the culture of the Cherokee people. In Adair’s
own writings, I soon learned the Cherokee woman and the place she held within
the Cherokee culture was one of great respect and honor. Here are some
interesting facts I learned not only from James Adair’s writings, but from numerous
other sources.
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| Wilma Mankiller Principal Chief of Western Cherokee 1985-1995 |
Cherokee women, it seems to me, were the core of the
village. Women in Cherokee society were equal to men. The highest rank a woman
could earn was the title of Ghigau, “Beloved Woman”, also translated “War Woman”. The Beloved woman sat in council
as an equal. She had a voice and could vote in the General Council. As Beloved Woman
she held a place of leadership for the women’s council. She prepared and served
the ceremonial black drink, and held the duty of ambassador of peace-negotiator.
She could also save the life of a prisoner already condemned to be executed.
Though Beloved Woman was the highest position a woman could
hold, all women were respected as equals as they carried out their duties
within the tribe. They took lead in the execution of prisoners, which was their
right as mothers. They had the right to claim prisoners as slaves, adopt them
as kin, or condemn them to death.
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| Cherokee Couple |
Clan kinship followed the mother’s family and it was the
duty of an uncle on the mother’s side to teach a son how to hunt and fish and
perform certain tribal duties. Children were born into the mother’s tribe, not
the father’s.
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| Cherokee Mother and child |
The clan, in Cherokee society, was your family. Marrying
within your clan was strictly prohibited.
However, outside of her own clan a Cherokee woman had full right to marry
any man she chose, be he Beloved Warrior from her tribe, a warrior outside her
tribe, trader, or frontiersman. Women were totally free to choose.
Women owned the home and the furnishings. If the man she
married turned out not to be the man of her dreams, she was free to divorce her
husband by placing all his things outside the house.
Also on her list of duties, women cared for the young,
cooked and tended the home as well as the fields. She wove baskets, tanned
skins and some even went on the warpath with their husbands.
Award-winning author Mary Adair is an Amazon bestselling
author of Native American books with her Passion series. Find her website at
www.MaryAdair.com And her Amazon author page at http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Adair/e/B003VJR5DC/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1430969488&sr=1-2-ent
I'm an admirer of Wilma Mankiller and her work for the Cherokee. Even though she's no longer Chief, I believe she is still an active advocate. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLoved your commentary on the Cherokee and their culture! Look forward to reading your book! Thanks for such an informative blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks Karren. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteIn most tribes the woman is revered. I know in the Nez Perce that I write about it is so. Though none have become a chief to my knowledge, their thoughts were accepted and they were valued highly. Good information!
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