Laws of Matriarch

I’m not much different from other Aboriginal women. I have brown eyes, long brown hair, high cheekbones, and I come from the west coast. I grew up mostly on the Gitwangak Reserve in British Columbia, Canada, along Highway 16 near the Alaska Highway Junction, on unceded Gitxsan territory. I don’t remember everything from my childhood, but I do have beautiful memories of the land and the time spent with my family. I learned our traditions, spirituality, and culture. I was taught that everything is sacred—from before we are born to after we die, including our thoughts, dreams, and all life around us. Our main law is about respecting all life to the best of our ability. However, I also carry the weight of intergenerational impacts from the Indian Residential School system. There are painful memories filled with trauma and horror. This pain is what Canadian society often labels as PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, along with the mental health struggles that come from these intergener...

The term 'matriarch' is a new word that’s been introduced to describe women who hold some kind of status in the community. It's a word I’ve never heard in my life, and neither has my mother. There are also phrases like 'grassroots' that seem to attempt to define what we already know, often with good intentions but sometimes leading to results that feel oppressive. In Gitxsan culture, the concept of matriarch is already woven into the fabric of our lives. We honor our mothers and follow their guidance. Children belong to their mothers, and if the mother is Gitxsan, then the child is Gitxsan. Our respect for mothers runs deep; it is a fundamental part of who we are. Every Gitxsan person, except for those who are adopted, has the right and responsibility to speak for their house, tribe, and nation. In our community, we believe in a holistic way of living where no one is elevated above the others, and no one is left behind. Yet, we've seen new terms introduced that ...