Native American Mother

Our new Matriarchs collection is a dream come true for me. I've always wanted to honor the brave woman who came before me, and who forged previously unimagedable paths for themselves and others. It is because of these forebearers that I am the woman I am today.
 
Mother And Child In Papoose, Native American Indian Women, 1900. This under-glass decoupage tray measures 5x8".
 
It is hard to make any generalizations about indigenous societies, because North America’s First Peoples consisted of hundreds of separate cultures, each with their own belief systems, social structures, and cultural and political practices. However, we do know that women’s activities were central to the community’s welfare; they also held important political, social, and economic power. In many North American societies, clan membership and material goods descended through women.
For example, the Five (later Six) Nations of the Iroquois Confederation all practiced matrilineal descent. Clan matrons selected men to serve as their chiefs, and they deposed chiefs with whom they were dissatisfied. Women’s life-giving roles also played a part in their political and social authority. In Native American creation stories, it was often the woman who created life, through giving birth to children, or through the use of their own bodies to create the earth, from which plants and animals emerged.
"The Old Ones say the Native American women will lead the healing among the tribes. Inside them are the powers of love and strength given by the Moon and the Earth. When everyone else gives up, it is the women who sings the songs of strength. She is the backbone of the people. So, to our women we say, sing your songs of strength; pray for your special powers; keep our people strong; be respectful, gentle, and modest." -Village Wise Man, Lakota
     Please see our "Details" section for more information on the construction, and care of our catch-all trays.
     In the potichomania process, the glass acts as both a foundation and protective finish, saving the step of varnishing. The original intent was to recreate Greek and Etruscan vases by simulating rare and expensive Sevrés porcelain.

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