ᎯᎸᎢᏳ ᏥᎨᏒ . . . ᎠᏂᎦᏴᎵᎨ

Long Ago . . . the Women Elders
Hilv’iyu tsigesv .  .  . anigayvlige

A world in balance and equilibrium was the prevailing philosophy, as well as the structure of society, on this continent prior to 1492.  

Olin (motion-change) is the Nahuatl word given to the natural rhythms of the universe, from beating hearts to earthquakes.  Complex cultures, based on this philosophy, existed here - long before European contact, long before the establishment of Judeo Christian traditions in the Middle East.   Indigenous culture evolved from a worldview of equality and reciprocity, not from patriarchal foundations of domination.

Matrilineal societies, in which women had agency, position, and power, were central.   An individual’s role was not determined simply by gender.  This system of social organization was in existence circa 4,000 BCE and prevailed until “first contact”.   In the mid sixteenth century, de Soto and his army encountered both female and male leaders of chiefdoms in the Southeast.   Chronicles of his explorations describe these interactions in detail, notably the Lady of Cofitachtequi, in present day South Carolina.