Aurora Whitebird

There was a time—not so long ago—when the Southeast of the United States was shaped by a society that worked in a radically different way from European society. It was the Cherokee Nation. In that society, women were not subordinate. They were pillars.

Their culture was matrilineal: children belonged to their mother’s clan, and wealth—fields, homes, stories—passed from woman to woman. When a couple married, the man moved into the wife’s home, not the other way around. And if a woman decided the marriage was over, all she had to do was place his personal belongings outside the door. The message was clear. And respected.

Cherokee women owned the houses. They cultivated corn, beans, and squash—the “Three Sisters” that fed the community. They managed food, raised children, wove baskets, tanned hides, and kept the culture alive. But they weren’t only mothers and caretakers. They were also leaders.

Some were Ghigau—“Beloved Women”—with religious, moral, and political authority. They could speak in tribal councils, decide the fate of prisoners, and even influence declarations of war. The most famous was Nanyehi, also known as Nancy Ward. During the American Revolution, she negotiated directly with colonial leaders.

When European settlers arrived, they were shocked by this reality. The traveler James Adair dismissed it as a “government in petticoats,” unable to understand a society where women held real power.

Over time, that power was attacked. The U.S. government imposed patriarchal structures: it recognized only male chiefs, pushed private property toward men, and denied women the right to represent their people in official treaties. Missionaries preached female submission. The matrilineal system was slowly dismantled.

And yet, Cherokee women resisted. Some still pass down stories, language, and lines of descent through mothers today. It wasn’t a perfect society. But it was a concrete demonstration that male dominance is not natural or inevitable. It’s a cultural choice. And they had chosen a different path.

That path was almost erased. But not forgotten. Because every time a woman is silenced in the name of “tradition,” we can remember the Cherokee—and say: “Other worlds have existed. And they can exist again.”

Right in the feels. 🤎🦬 It’s been one year since bison were reintroduced to Brokenhead Ojibway Nation under the Buffalo Treaty. The Nation marked the milestone last week by resharing this emotional video of the bison returning to the land, with drumming, singing, and war hoops heard in the background. 🥹✨ "We were honoured to receive 20 cows and 2 bulls from Zagime Anishinabek. Today, our herd has grown to 40. We will forever be connected to our relatives at Zagime, and today we give thanks to Chief Acoose and her community for this meaningful gift. Under the Buffalo Treaty, our responsibility is to grow our herd to a population where we can one day pay it forward by gifting a herd to another community. By doing this work together, we are fulfilling the goal of the Buffalo Treaty - to repopulate our territories with our mighty Mashkode Bizhiki." Share your thoughts below. 🫶🏼💭⤵️ (via Brokenhead Ojibway Nation / Facebook) #BuffaloTreaty #Bison #IndigenousCulture

Montana MMIP Policy Summit 2026

We are honored to officially announce that the Montana MMIP Policy Summit will take place in November 2026 in Helena, Montana. More details—including exact dates, venue, and registration—will be shared as planning continues.

This statewide summit will bring together Indigenous leaders, families of the missing, grassroots organizations, policymakers, and allies to create real, actionable solutions to end the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) crisis in Montana.

Together, we are working to:
-Center tribal voices and lived experiences
-Collaborate across tribal nations and jurisdictions
Develop actionable MMIP policy proposals for Montana
Strengthen grassroots and community-led response teams
Build lasting networks of support for families
Push for funding and resources to go directly into tribal and Indigenous hands

Planned Topics Include:
Gaps in law enforcement coordination
Tribal data sovereignty & MMIP reporting
Support systems for families of the missing
Funding for community-based search and response teams
Legislative advocacy & accountability tracking

📅 Upcoming Planning Update
Our next official planning meeting will be held virtually on January 7, 2026. During this meeting, we will share more information about:
The MMIP Policy Advisory Committee
Opportunities for tribal, organizational, and community involvement
Summit planning roles and participation

Call to Action
We are calling on ALL Montana tribes, MMIP advocates, grassroots teams, SAR experts, and community members to be part of shaping this historic summit.

📧 Email: [email protected]

More updates coming soon. Stay connected.

FOI Co-Founder Olivia Robertson drew this lovely holiday greeting to share with FOI members at the Nesu House, Temple of Isis, Geyserville in 2008. May everyone be surrounded by the love and light of the Great Mother during this holy season - "... the winter solstice, [is] a time for looking within. Some Hindu sages teach that Prana, the life-force, flows in the human nervous system during the day, and in the blood-stream at night. Every twenty-four hours we can adapt ourselves to the tides. The greater cycle of the year brings us comparable experiences at the solstices and equinoxes. So we learn the value of daily and seasonal invocations, meditation and rituals. We become part of our planet's rhythmic life." from "Gaea: Initiations of the Earth", Part II. Planetary Initiation, FOI Liturgy, written by Olivia Robertson.

A Female God? 😱