Schleich Indigenous Mother with Papoose

Schleich Sioux Mother  2005 Rare Retired Difficult to Find

Many Native societies were matriarchal, meaning the women served as the primary leaders in social and political life. In the Haudenosaunee tribes, for example, they have always appointed clan mothers to serve as the final say in community decision-making, keeping the chiefs and other male leaders in check. In nearly every tribe, whether structured technically as a matriarchy or not, women and two-spirited (our term for LGBTQ+) people were honored and respected for their power. For example, when a woman had her first moon time (our term for a menstrual cycle), they were honored and welcomed into womanhood with an elaborate ceremony. These practices are still being continued and reclaimed today. This is a far cry from the savage and violent stereotypes that Hollywood has given native people. But this is the truth.  

Papoose (from the Algonquian papoose, meaning "child") is an American English word whose present meaning is "a Native American child" (regardless of tribe) or, even more generally, any child, usually used as a term of endearment, often in the context of the child's mother.