From living in a social structure, the human's mental prowess developed and matured from the effects of their surroundings. This maturity and the continuing effects create an almost helpless dependence upon the thoughts. While also create a dependence upon the social traditions of the surroundings, or community. However, those thoughts are not for any benefit if explanation and training of the social traditions are not imbued upon the person. It is easily understood that the very first social structures would have been that of immediate family. But in advancement , as man's journeys extended and began to develop into relationships with neighboring communities. Social order and practices would have been inherent just simply for survival. The reason being, if a community member is not educated into the social structure and practices of the community. His actions and behavior would almost appear idiotic. His mere presence could be considered invasive or insulting to the other members of the community. Thus, bringing on physical injury or ostracizing. This adherence to social order should be understood from what we theorize as being the foundation for a social community: or what is called a society. With that thought in mind, we should examine the various matters and issues involved that promoted people to enjoin into such groups.
Much of this is contributed to when the human beings began to notice their environment. Their gift of mental rationalization enabled them to realize the association between other beings, humans, and the immediate environment. This realization became more in-depth from human's efforts to advance an easier survival. Thus as their social labors began to progress in the development of tools, weapons, and a more stable housing by the building of dwellings. They began to come grouped into communities beyond their immediate family. We than understand the development of language, religions, and artistic creation.
Consciousness by the humans of their environment, and pride in progress, recognized in the tools and weapons making their labors easier. Combined with new thoughts to bring in a respect, and a bewilderment for an omniscient creator. This unknown being or force was considered responsible for everything that was unexplainable, unseen, and beyond the human control at the time. These unknown events such as wind, lightening, rain, and other meteorological occasions. Could only be considered the results of the efforts of a Supreme Being. In a further observation, humans witnessed and quickly understood there is a mystery of the life giving subsistence provided by Earth to all creatures. That recognition coinciding with the life giving and nourishment capabilities of the female human being, and the female of other species of animals. Were of the same mysterious happenings considered as a result of the efforts of a Supreme Creator. Thus, very early in the development of the human society. Religious types of honoring were bestowed upon the Great Mother Earth, and Mother Goddess.
In these early forms of life we find that families and social groups became identified with their most reverent totem of worship. Also, they were identified and acknowledged by others as being a member of that group. On that recognition, we have the foundation for the development of the clan.
Women have been eminently essential in all the activities performed in human societies. They have been identified with particular roles determined by the societies they live within. The roles of the woman have been commonly understood to be linked to their physiology. In that sense, such matters as birth, child rearing, and family care meet the demands of a woman's natural capabilities. During these days of "Preliterate Cultures" subsistence depended on foraging, hunting, and early forms of agriculture. The woman generally controlled, by decision, the need for hunted commodities, while also collecting the other essentials for survival of the family. Those other essentials were things such as firewood, herbs, roots, berries, utensils, and sometimes small game hunting. Those foragings became activities in addition to Motherhood. Although it is said that no evidence is presented where the early woman was entrusted with technology. We should not neglect to realize that the preparation of food, medicines, clothing, and the utensils did actually require superb analytical thought processes and capabilities. In contrast to where we see that men excelled in hunting and process of heavy and hard materials. The woman had to have the thought capabilities to determine what materials would be good for withstanding the heat of cooking, what would not absorb the fluids, what would be a secure storage container, what materials would be good tools, what would be good for sewing, what is safe to eat, what the medicine qualities of this-and-that plant are and the list could go on and on.
Thus we find that work within these early societies was based upon gender, and age with the chores usually decided by the woman. For it was her station to decide the maintaining of the home survival. In that pursuit, we can imagine that young girls would collect plants and items close to the ground. While young boys could small game hunt and collect larger firewood and items. It is easy to understand that assignments would be given in accordance to physical capabilities in conjunction with what would be considered to be the maturing process of the physic. With the thought in mind of the woman being the most dominate in the decisions of home survival. We can now introduce the terms commonly used in a gender application by sociologist, historians, and anthropologist as being matriarchal, matrilineal, matrilocal indicating that of the woman, the mother, or female gender. While on the other hand, we use the terms patriarchal, or patrilineal and patrilocal to indicate the man, the father, or male gender.
Johann Jakob Bachofen,{bahk'-ohf-en} b. Dec. 22, 1815, d. Nov. 25, 1887, was a Swiss jurist. His contributions from the study of primitive laws and religions brought forth many fine works of writing in the realm of sociology. In 1868 he presented a work on the evolution of the family known as "The Mother Right," { Das Mutterrecht}. The main theme of "The Mother Right" is essentially that the matriarchal lineage type of family dates back long before the patriarchal style. His suggestion on the conclusion of his research was, the matriarchal type of family lineage was the basis for which civilization in a social structure was built. His works exerted considerable influence on early pioneering anthropologist. Those of notable distinction were E.B.Tylor and Lewis Henry Morgan. Amazingly we will see in this hypothesis of mine, a preponderance of direct evidence showing that Bachofen was probably correct. To assist that contention we will discuss the genetic biological issues of DNA in a later chapter.
Matriarchy and Matrilineal Societies
As was mentioned, in a 'matriarchy' society all the family decisions, and political directions are by woman. In the 18th century the author Darwin had a major influence on all anthropologist, historians and scientist with his writing "The Origin of Man". The theme of Darwin's writing was in concerns of biological evolution of all species of animals. Thus, those scientist and such Educators viewed his results along the line that all species being birthed by woman concluded that the earliest societies were matriarchal. So we can now understand that the thought of matrilineal dominance is not a new issue. As research brings forth direct evidence. We no longer have to speculate or theorize upon opinions when we have direct evidence. Those early pioneers on the theme certainly set a fine foundation for the research to follow. In this time of entering into the 21st century AD it is fairly easy to accumulate a plethora of writings for describing the societies of the mysterious woman.
Matriarchal societies are commonly found in matrilineal social organizations; or communities. Membership into the organizations is based upon the lineage of the mother's blood line. Not only throughout history, but also even today we find many tribes and social structures practicing this philosophy of descent. However, not all of these matrilineal societies have the same practices. The differences are according to other influences upon the social structure and most importantly the habitat environment. Although we have vast amounts of direct evidence supporting female dominance. There is still a great deal of investigative work that needs to be extended towards the development of the spirituality. For it is the spirituality matters that the woman was able to develop the philosophies needed for the institution of a clan structure.
In our research of the spirituality of the woman's clan it is common to present a label upon the leader of the group as that of the Clan Mother. Perhaps the easiest way to begin would be the analysis of an agriculture type society. In the agricultural societies we find that the female often carried the dominate role. It was the idea that she was much as the Great Mother Earth in that Mother Earth would take seeds and bring forth life, as also the woman. With the women of these societies doing most of the gardening and food preparation in addition to the capabilities of human birth. It is fairly easy to see how this philosophy would have developed a foundation. But to carry it farther in the identity of the Spirit of the Clan we should look at the immediate habitat environment. And also attempt to trace back to regions were they earlier resided through the use of geographical and geological knowledge. To keep it simple I will present a common sense analysis.
Let us begin this issue by examining what the needs of the home were by recalling what was previously said concerning the functions of the female. As stated, she was the collector of plants. If we rationalize the type of plants that would be collected of course we immediately conclude with medicine and food. Now these plants were not at first developed from human planting, that came later. Basically, all of these plants were indigenous to the immediate area where the woman lived. Or in other words their habitat environment. We should understand that she did not just go out and pick a berry and bring it back for food. It can be imagined that many people got sick, and some even died from consuming plants that were not created for human consumption. So it was probably many generations before the knowledge of what was edible, and what was not, was realized and finally passed down to the daughters. We should also consider that the male also dabbled in this research and would share his findings and knowledge with the female. While she, in turn, educated him on her findings.
It is almost impossible to express how jubilant it is to find a stable food with-in your immediate environment. This writer (myself) definitely knows what it is like to go hungry or starve. This is from events in my life that have kept me out of the main stream American Culture. However, most of the people that will ever read this book would have to try hard just to fantasize what that would be like. Believe me the finding of a natural easy food source is an extremely joyous occasion. If you consider that early humans had nothing else to think about it is easily understood the connection that would be associated with that food, and the Supreme Being, and the Great Mother Earth. If for a long time the female that discovered the food source, does not share her knowledge. She in turn, becomes even further reverence beyond her life rearing capabilities. Thus, her food collection abilities become supreme of which would easily create a following.
My immediate knowledge would be in the agri-geological aspects of the Native American Indian Cherokee ge ya ta hi nu nv, or wild potato. Potatoes are edible tubers that grow underground. Above the ground you see a stem and coarse dark leaves much like a tomato plant looks like. In blooming above ground they have flowers that are small and the colors vary from white to purple. Sometimes the flowers turn into what would look like a berry. This berry is fatally poisonous! Also, when the potato lays in the sun it turns green and is than poisonous! However, the underground tubular is very nutritious. Actually, a diet of milk and potatoes will supply all of the nutrients needed by the human body. In that regards, they contain protein, calcium, niacin, vitamin C, and carbohydrates. They can also be processed into flour, they can be stored for up to eight months in temperatures above freezing. Although much attention is giving to its discovery in the Peruvian Andes and farmed by the Incas. There is actually a variety found in the Smoky Mountains that was farmed by the Cherokee.
The miracle of nourishment, storage capabilities, and versatility in types of meal preparations made the potato a recognized stable of the Mountain Cherokee diet. It also was a very useful commodity for trade with the lowland Cherokee and Shoreline bands of the Mid- South East United States. Being such a staple for the diet. It is understandable that in the heritage of the Cherokee giving praises of thanks to the Great Mystery for subsistence sources. A clan would soon develop with the potato as it's totem. Thus, the Cherokee go da ge wi "Wild Potato Clan" arose. The verbal legends are varied but mostly all tell of a time when there was little game and the weather so bad that hunting was not productive. It was the little people that live in the caves and under the waterfalls that introduced the potato to a young maiden and her mother when they were out searching for food. The introduction of the potato into the village saved many lives and soon the ladies were taking potatoes to other villages and thus the miracle of the tubers being was acknowledged. It seems that the two ladies were also introduced to other underground edibles. Thus, their knowledge of roots and other modern day vegetables brought them into a position of recognition amongst the tribe. When combined with the spiritual offerings to the Great Mother Earth. The Wild Potato Clan became recognized as those people that had inherent knowledge on the gathering and preparations of foods. That ideology is still prevalent in the regards for those Cherokee that live the clan lifestyle today.
