Indigenous Women as Matriarch

Traditionally, women are matriarchs among the Indigenous people. Indigenous women have a greater inclination to protect the environment and respect the role of everyone in keeping harmony and balance.

A painting of a woman wearing a blue dress with her dark hair in braids, her right hand holding a feather over a drum on the ground beside her.

Portrait of Cecile Calliou, Fort McKay, 2005.

Governed by the Seven Sacred Teachings, grounded in the knowledge of the land and the interdependence of humans to the whole cycle of life, they make vital decisions in the daily aspects of life in the community.

A colourful painting of species symbolic to the Seven Sacred Teachings with an eagle, black bear, brown beaver, blue wolf, brown and red buffalo and a ghost-like figure of a woman on top of a turtle’s back.

The Seven Sacred Teachings by Claire Beaulieu-Antoine, Fort McMurray, 2017.

As Elders, Indigenous women are crucial in safeguarding traditional knowledge and guiding the next generations to follow their Ancestors’ footsteps by proudly embracing their heritage and culture forever.

White Buffalo Calf Woman: The Origin of Culture Through Prophecy