English - Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies

76
Harmony Circle
Men/Women Roles
Generally, in all pre-contact Aboriginal
cultures, men and women had different roles
and responsibilities; however, one was no less
important than the other. Men and women
were considered equals with very different
characteristics and responsibilities, and each
was necessary to make life complete. These
roles were complementary and both were
necessary for the continuation of the family,
the community and the Nation. Neither the
male nor the female could fulfill their role
without the other fulfilling their own.
Women are considered the Life Givers.
Women have been blessed with the gift of
water. They carry the water inside them and
it is the water that flows from within them
when they are ready to deliver a baby. This
water connects them with Mother Earth and
Grandmother Moon and it is for this reason
the women are responsible for the water at
ceremonies.
As such the family extends well beyond the nuclear family and
a single household to include a network of brothers, sisters,
aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents, nieces and nephews.
Depending on the culture and community, an extended
family may be linked to a traditional Clan system. This
extended family tends to function more as an
interrelated system rather than as separate and
disconnected parts.
“While it is safe to say that the single-generation,
single-family household is perhaps more prevalent in
most Aboriginal contexts than it may have been several
generations ago, it is also true that there are important
and profound cultural differences that distinguish
Aboriginal family life from life in non-Aboriginal families in
Canada” (Bopp, Bopp & Lane, 2003).
Women are seen as the creators of life and involved in all
things that deal with creativity, from planting and harvesting,
to giving birth and raising children. Women were the
nurturers and the sustainers of their communities, building
and maintaining housing and supervising family affairs.
Land and crops belonged to them, rather than their
husbands or brothers. Men were traditionally hunters
for the community, with women skinning, packing and
preparing the hunt . . . ​. Men’s traditional duties (hunting,
conducting trade, defending the community) required
them to often be away, so their social position was
sometimes weaker than that of women (OFIFC, 2008).
Children were recognized as gifts from the Creator and
they were to be cared for and nurtured so that their gifts
could emerge. Learning self-discipline and self-reliance
at a young age was important because Aboriginal peoples
lived so close to the land, there was an understanding of
what the environment could do to people lacking these
lessons. It was essential that the extended family teach
each child to live in a way that provided him/her with
self-reliance and with the ability to share their unique gifts
with their family and community.
THE ROLE OF WOMEN
Women are the foundation of Aboriginal families and
communities. Traditionally, women were held in high
honour and respected for their ability to problem solve and
multi-task. They were responsible for managing the home,
the family, and the community at large when the men were
out hunting, fishing and trapping.