Warrior, what do you think of when you read that word? Do you think of a man? a man with big muscles, maybe armor or a sword? or young and healthy? These are probably the images that come to mind.
Would you ever think a woman could be a warrior? What about older women? That may not be what first comes to your mind when you think of a “warrior” but as the film “keepers of the fire” shows women, even older women, can be warriors too.
The film Keepers of the Fire tells the story of Indigenous Women across Canada who have stood up and fought for their rights and the rights of their people… and won.
At the very opening of this film the narrator states:
“The old ones have a proverb and it goes something like this. ‘No people is broken until the hearts of its women are on the ground. Only then are they broken, only then will they die’.
For 500 years our mothers and grandmothers have kept the fires burning in the hearts and minds of our people. They were warrior women, storytellers, dreamer, healers, fighters and through them we survived. It is our time now; the fires are ours to keep. And I find myself wondering what kind of warriors are we?”
This film depicts different battles that Indigenous women have fought over the years. The Oka crisis, the battle for Lyle Island and Bill C-31 are all examples of times where women were required to make a choice, to stand up and fight or to give in and give up. The decision to stand up and fight shows the strength and courage that Indigenous women have and is a great source encouragement to future generations.
One woman from Oka named Debbie explains that Mohawk women have always been a “force to be reckoned with” and the clan mothers chose the chiefs of the long houses. In Mohawk society women were also often the heads of the households. Debbie also explained that in Mohawk law the land was “entrusted” to the women and they have a “sacred responsibility to protect it”. This sacred duty to the land, as she describes, was also a responsibility seven generations into the future, to protect the land so there is something left for those who are still yet to come. The film explains that when the crisis happened in Oka the women were the ones who brought everyone together to fight and the women also went to the front lines. There were plans for a golf course to be built where a acred pine forest was and where many of their ancestors were buried. Due to the conflict the Canadian military was called in to address the situation. The women who stood up in Oka had tear gas and bullets shot at them and they were barricaded into their community by military force yet they did not give in. They protected their beloved pine forest from being turned into a golf course and brought Indigenous issues to the forefront.
One woman stated
“Something just went through me that gave me the strength and courage to not run away”
and another:
“We got to a point that we were more mad than we were afraid”.
Another example of strong women in this film was the women who fought for Lyle Island. Loggers were threatening the life of the beautiful forest. Haida people came from across Canada to stand together and create a barricade to protect the land. The Elders were the ones who were the first to stand at the Barricade. Despite the desire of the young people to protect their Elders from being arrested the Elders went anyway. Both men and women sat at the barricade and took a stand for what they believed in. They were eventually arrested but in the end the determination and courage of this group won the battle for Lyle Island which is now a protected area.
On the other side of Canada women rallied together to fight for their rights that had been taken from them. Their status rights as Indigenous peoples had been stripped from them because they had been married to white men. When these women moved back to their communities they lived in dire conditions because they were no longer status. Aboriginal women’s did not have rights and were treated as such. However some women decided that enough was enough and they took a stand. They occupied their band office and as the film says “brought the government to its knees” bringing in bill C-31. This bill restored the status rights of women who had unjustly lost them. This was a great victory for Indigenous women and should inspire future generations to continue the fight.
As a social work student I find that although we talk about the strength based approach to helping the nature of our profession leads us to focus on many of the negative circumstances facing the people groups we serve. With the Indigenous population I believe this is also true. Often times we become immersed in the barriers faced by Indigenous people we forget to remind ourselves of the strengths of this population. There many strengths in Indigenous communities and those strengths are also within each individual. In the literature especially there is a problem focus. This maybe necessary at times because in order to make changes we have to determine what problems exists. As an non-Indigenous person who desires to be and is learning to be an ally, I wonder what would be different if we heard more stories like those of the women in this film. What if we knew more about the women who support these communities and the warriors that they are; would we think differently? What if we as women knew more about each other and felt connected to each other’s stories. Maybe we as helper could find a way to support these women to bring about further changes, as great or even greater than the victories highlighted in this particular film.
I love this film and want to share it with you because it tells the stories of strong Indigenous women who’s stories I may never have heard otherwise; These stories of strong women inspire me to continue to fight and stand up for what is right. These stories remind me that change can happen and that there is great strength within Indigenous peoples especially in their women. In closing I would like to recognize that there are many more stories of strong Indigenous women that remain untold or hidden. I wonder what more we could learn if we heard more of their stories.
I am challenged by the courage demonstrated by these women and now I find myself wondering what kind of warrior am I?
Hey Megan,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting and though provoking article. When I was reading this entry a certain article came to mind from my feminist perspectives course, its called "Tribal Feminism is a Drum Song" written by Rosanna Deerchild (2003). When I read your article you painted a clear picture of the importance of women in the Indigenous culture and their role as a guardian of tradition and culture. Feminism for an Canadian Aboriginal woman means something completely different than it would for a non-Aboriginal woman.
In Deerchild's article the term feminism is applied through an Aboriginal lens, and a cultural analysis and critique is conducted, in which the author points out how the role of Aboriginal women has changed due to colonialism. She also sheds light on how colonialism has changed the way that Aboriginal women are being percieved within their own culture. I wonder how this colonial re-construction of Aboriginal women has affected the older female aging population. Do these women see their grand daugthers as "keepers of the fire"? Or...perhaps more importantly, are grand daughters seeing their grandmothers as the matriarchs of culture and tradition?
I really appreciated your article, and your personal connection to it. Thanks.
-Michelle
Meagan,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job on this blog The Keeper of the fire. I am glad you wrote about the strengths and power of Indigenous women. I have gained a real understanding of what a warrior is and the strength that Indigenous women have brought to their communities by the examples of strong women you showed such as: The Keeper of the Fire, The Oka crisis, the battle for Lyle Island and Bill C-31. I agree with you Meagen, we do become immersed in the barriers faced by Indigenous people and more stories that show the strength of Indigenous women need to be told. As a future social worker I hope to take what I have learned from this blog to focus on the strengths of Indigenous Women while I am working with them in the community. I really enjoyed reading your blog.
Thanks,
-Arlene
Hey Meagan, thanks for your reflections on this film. I have also seen this film, and was inspired by the courage of the women who went to the front lines.
ReplyDeleteI was recently at a WRHA Aboriginal Training morning, where an elder in the community came to share some stories with us. He spoke of the strength of women, and the matriarchical tradition in first nations communities. He added to this though.
He taught that at one time, the whole world was based on a matriarchical system, until the 'witch hunting' era in Europe in the 1500-1600s. He taught that this was a conspiracy to get rid of women, and their power in the communities; to silence their voice by any means possible.
He spoke of a group of people who thought that this was wrong, and escaped to turtle island to continue on in their traditions - he taught that this was when Aboriginal peoples came to North America as they thought it was wrong to abandon their matriarchical traditions under the guise of a 'witch hunt'; that women deserved their position of respect.
I had never heard this lesson before and found it fascinating. The elder shared that we would never read this story in any book, but that it was the truth. As social workers, we need to remember that indigenous women are used to this respect, and ensure it continues when they enter the patriarchical system; they have much to teach us.
-Nikki
"Keeper of the Fire" by Meagan
ReplyDeleteThis entry is indeed on fire, Meagan. It flares in passion and burns in deep conviction. I agree with every single word you said for I myself is a strong believer of women, of the oppressed, of the unprivileged, of the struggling, and of the surviving. Aboriginal women traditionally held a very powerful position in ancient society. They were considered as closer to the Creator and to mother Earth for their inherent capacity to give life through birth. The colonizers have stripped them their rightful privilege but now they have shown us that they are standing up and reclaiming what they have lost!
-Darnel