Weekly Insights: The Tribe of Grandmothers Are Our Greatest Leaders...

Wisdom is the fruit of a lifetime, and our grandmothers and great-grandmothers hold so much wisdom through their life experiences. Elder women are known for being anchors for morality. They understand the need for environmental protections, peaceful interactions between leaders, and global conversations about ethics, morals, and values in our highest positions of power. There are many examples of how these elder women come together in societies to help them heal, thrive, and grow into their greatest potential.

The International Council of Thirteen Indiginous Grandmothers unite female elders from many different Indigenous nations to help promote global conversations on the stewardship of the land, and ethical and peaceful solutions to modern day problems. They are not in government positions, but they do influence people on a global level with their ideas and suggestions.

The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations, is a clan of mothers that held significant influence in their political system in upstate NY back between 1570 and 1600 CE. In 1722, it united the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca nations along with the Tuscarora. It is still one of the oldest continuous participatory democracies in the world. The concept behind this Confederacy is ending conflict in order to have peace through balance, unity, and shared governance. All roles are created through consensus and kinship, and every nation involved maintains autonomy while cooperating with one another on major decisions that affect everyone. A chief that is appointed can also be removed if they fail the people. It is more about stewardship and forward thinking to ensure harmony and wellness for future generations. Much like the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, wealth, electoral cycles, and dominance has no place in this system either.

In some parts of West African societies, there is a "Queen Mother" that advocates for the community alongside the government. They are not the dominating force in state politics, however, their voices are heard and matter when it comes to local communities and culture issues.

In Indonesia, the Minangkabau is a group of elder women that help with family and community decision-making. Formal politics is governed by men and women, but this group helps with generational property and family issues that are beyond the scope of the government.

There are other communities in India, parts of Ghana, and elsewhere that have matrilineal systems in place. The core principals of the grandmothers are making long-term visionary shifts instead of having a short-term focus, having stewardship of the land and all forms of life, obtaining overall consensus instead of top-down authority, and leadership based on wisdom that has been earned through a lived experience instead of wealth or political status. No leader is perfect, but making decisions based on responsibility, respect, and relationship with one another helps us to elevate the way we think, govern, and grow together. There is a "Seven Generation Principle" that is designed to view politics with a 100-200 year projection. The grandmothers understand that our future is created in the present moment, and prioritize air, water, soil, and spirit when it comes to taking care of the planet and our responsibilities as stewards of the Earth. They require long-term accountability, ethical business, and transparency. Why haven't these systems of elder women leaders grown more in the West?

Modern governments, like ours in the US and others that are similar to us, are built on more patriarchal models of governance, where it is primarily male-dominated, suppressed, and focused on speed, competition with each other, earning formal credentials, and having short-term accountability for long-term issues. These larger systems value degrees, titles, and authoritative personalities instead honoring oral traditions, respect for the land and our ancestors, and generational wisdom and knowledge. Every society has to decide for itself on whether or not its leaders should be more efficient and dominant, holistic and caring, or a balance of the two. True harmony is finding the middle ground between efficiency and accountability. When our youth can work together with our elders, slowing down to receive their wisdom and knowledge, then a more harmonious reality can manifest for the greater good of all of the people, and not for just a few. Our leaders will always reflect our values as a society. When we are ready to step up our game, we can turn to our grandmother tribe for higher knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.