Are You a Gantowisa?
by Jamie Terra Hawk ©JTHawk
In her book, “Iroquoian Women, The Gantowisas” (Pg.16) Barbara Alice Mann writes “An Iroquoian equivalent of “woman” is gantowisas, yet the term conveys more than woman. She is political woman, faith keeping woman, mediating woman; leader, counselor, judge. Gantowisas indicates mother, grandmother, and even the mother of nations, as well as the Corn Mother Herself, whose shining new face lies beneath the ground to rise again, each year.
In the first decades of the twentieth century, the revered Cayuga Chief Deskaheh (1873-1925) of the Canadian Six Nations Council at Grand River, Canada, defined gantowisas as a mature woman acting in her official capacity. Her official capacity was public in every way. Her duties were frankly political, economic, judicial, and shamanic. Gantowisas, then, means Indispensable Woman.”
In my personal ministry as a Native American two-spirit person, I go even further than the wonderful Ms. Mann in my determination of what this word means. My respect for this author is beyond question and I in no way intend to diminish her work. She is truly a brilliant gantowisa teacher among many. Anyone who desires a bit of knowledge on early Native American history that goes far beyond the scope of school textbooks, I encourage them to read her other works.
My personal ministry involves the work of recovery within the community wherever I may live. In this endeavor I focus primarily on female empowerment. Women around the globe have been disenfranchised of their true power. In Native America this is the result of patriarchal and religious indoctrinations which began the moment the strangers landed on the shores of this country. Where women once held positions equal to those of the men in their tribes, these patriarchal and religious ideologies slowly, even quickly, preyed upon the minds of our men who became drunken on whiskey, the pursuit of power, wealth, and would succumb to the idea of male supremacy as it was presented to them as a (religious) god-given right and was therefore a righteous pursuit, As the numbers of strangers grew and Native America was being consumed by greed and our tribes no longer had the power to resist this genocidal assault by politicians, land grabbers, and religious zealots, the perceived power our men had been indoctrinated with was also being taken away. Their diminished spirits would move into a dark and lonely place. Their position as powerful leaders was usurped by the invaders. Soon they were beaten into submission and the only authority they could claim was that which they had been taught by the invaders; their superiority over their women.
Then came the government boarding schools whose mission was to “take the Indian out of the boy”, which further removed them from their homes and from the true traditions of centuries ago. Our women were left alone on their small parcel reservations and our villages were deprived of the balance of male role models. Our children grew up without these male figures and the oral tradition stories we depended upon to guide our people into the future and preserve our existence. The Indian Removal and Relocation Act planned by Andrew Jackson was no more than the planned genocide of our people…and it was very effective. (see also, Barbara Alice Mann’s “George Washington’s War on Native America”) The dark and lonely places provided to us resulted in deep depression, alcoholism, and the death of many Native American spirits. Handsome Lake’s prophecy in a.d.1799 had indeed come true. The four mind-changers; alcohol, organized religions, gambling, and materialism had effectively taken their tolls on our populations. These problems persist to this day.
Our women began to take back their power. And the members of our communities, old and young, male and female, began to depend upon the wisdom of our mothers, the gantowisas. And even though it was the women who guaranteed the survival of our people, there are still many tribes who do not allow their women to participate or speak in tribal councils. This is the same pervasive ideology that exists globally; i.e. women need to keep their silence. I say, “May this never be!” This is where I will dissent and digress from popular “white, male, patriarchal power” theory. The theory has been tested numerous times and it fails in every way.
So, this is my personal definition of a gantowisa which does not diminish Ms. Mann’s own assessment but enhances even more her own definition. I tell the people I work with in recovery that they will not succeed so long as they continue to quietly assimilate in a very flawed, male dominated world.
No! You are a gantowisa! You are an empowered woman who recognizes her full capacity and who does not cringe under male dominance.
A gantowisa stands on her own merit, tall, and proud and without guilt or shame.
A gantowisa stands with her head held high and never turns her power over to others who would exploit her, use her, abuse her, or cause in any way her being marginalized by the world.
A gantowisa does not allow others to objectify her, minimalize her spirit, or deter her from the fulfillment of her Creator given purpose.
A gantowisa is not a “what”, she is a “WHO”, created with the very spirit of our Creator which indwells her very being.
A gantowisa challenges others (male or female, we are all the same) to recognize this spirit within them and to recover from those things that destroy us and that spirit; i.e. alcohol, drugs, bigotry, pride, ego, hatred, and organized religions or political systems that perpetuate prejudices and feed the evil which is consuming our Mother Earth and all her creatures, great and small.
A gantowisa understands, and insists, that “NO!” is a complete sentence.
A gantowisa does not allow others to define her because she is aware of her own destiny as a spiritual being, and she walks a path that honors the Great Spirit and respects all those who follow this path.
A gantowisa speaks only her truth, with passion and compassion, and without the intent to harm any creature because she knows truth will save her.
A gantowisa recognizes the power given to her by her Creator to do good, and she will never use that power for evil or her own selfish gains.
So, this is the very philosophy that I live by. It provides me clarity of mind and allows me the privilege of sharing this philosophy with others. My spirit is allowed to manifest itself to enhance the lives of those who have been marginalized by a society which continues to perpetuate old doctrines and dogma which have failed throughout history.
We must awaken our spirits to a purpose that is beneficent to others and which they can also use to empower themselves as they walk their own spiritual path. And we must always walk the path of recovery which refuses to give itself over to the powers of the world of man. We must walk the way of Spirit. I am a “WHO”, a Spiritual creature endowed by its Creator with a Spiritual purpose, not a “what” that is defined by the world of man….
Peace….Jamie Terra Hawk