World View and the Decision Making Process  A world view is all of a society's paradigms (patterns of thoughts and behaviors) taken together. It is a comprehensive image of reality and humanity’s relation to it.  A specific world view is influenced by its immediate environment.  In Canada, world views find their origins in different cultural traditions each with particular value assumptions.

Aboriginal World View  Traditional Aboriginal societies within North America were founded on holistic and spiritually-based world view known as the Sacred Circle.  Social organizations within the Aboriginal societies reflect a basic interrelatedness with each other.

Some basic assumptions are:  Indigenous cultures developed political based on equality and harmony.  Power, authority and decision making were decentralized.  The natural autonomy (personal freedom) of the individual and sovereignty of the group were upheld as societal absolutes.  The Sacred Circle represents the belief, “Everything the power of the world is done in a circle”. The sky is round……The wind in its greatest power whirls……The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle.. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing…..The life of man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves (Oglala Sioux)

European Worldview  European societies tend towards a linear, analytical and secular (not concentrated with religion; worldly) worldview.  Eurocentric cultural developed political organizations based on patriarchy, male dominated social systems, with decedents through the male line, and competition.  Power and decision making were centralized  The rights and personal freedoms of the individual were deemed to be of paramount value.

Traditional Aboriginal Institutions  When the peoples of Aboriginal North America societies encountered the first European immigrants, they discovered that these newcomers to the continent were similar to and yet also different from themselves.  Commonalities  Aboriginal and Euro-Canadian peoples share many things in common. Both groups are comprised of a diversity of cultures, with each cultural group possessing a unique history, language and spiritual belief system. Just as there never developed a single European language, a single Aboriginal language never developed either. Euro-Canadian languages include French, English, German, Ceitie and Swedish. Aboriginal languages include Cree (with at least three dialects spoken in Saskatchewan alone). Dakota, Eastern Aleut and Kiowa­ Apache.

Spiritual Interpretations  Although traditional European societies were generally Christian in spiritual belief system, there developed a variety of interpretations of Christian spirituality, including Protestantism, Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.  In the same way, while most traditional Aboriginal societies were founded upon a physical environment-centered mysticism, there developed a multitude of interpretations and belief systems varying from one cultural region to the next.

Complex Societies  Both European and Aboriginal peoples developed extremely complex organized societies.  Both groups had organized institutions centered upon family and kinship, politics and government, economics, culture, spirituality and all other aspects of life.  Differences  What made European and Aboriginal institutions different from each other lay in the values, beliefs and world views upon which the institutions were based.  Because institutions are created by human beings, what make Europeans and Aboriginal peoples so different from each other were the basic values, beliefs and world views each group of people held.  As well, although both European and Aboriginal peoples possessed the same concepts of thought as power, sovereignty and social contract, the interpretations of these concepts differed greatly.

Gaining Understanding  To better understand traditional Aboriginal approaches to decision-making, the following slides will provide you with generalizations about the organization of family and kinship and political institutions within the North American First Nations.  You must know that Indian cultures start with philosophical assumptions as found in the Sacred Circle while Eurocentric cultures start with assumptions based on science and technology.

Family and Kinship  Extended Family Circle  The basic unit of most traditional societies is the extended family circle. The extended family usually includes parents, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and all the persons an individual is related to through blood, marriage or adoption.  Matriarchies  Most societies within pre-contact Aboriginal North America were matriarchal.  An organization of these societies was centered upon the mother, her sisters and daughter.  Within Iroquoian society, the household was comprised of the husband and wife, the wife's mother and mother's sisters and brothers, the wife's sisters and brothers, her children and, if applicable, her children's daughters.

Ownership  Children determined their social status through their mothers, and inherited property from them.  Women owned the longhouse, household utensils, farming implements, agricultural produce and generally all the essential items within the society.  Men owned the clothes they wore and the hunting and military equipment they created.  A tradition within Iroquoian society was that women directed and controlled daily affairs within the settlement while men were responsible for affairs outside of it.  Men received direction from women on how to resolve issues affecting the family or the settlement.

Decision Making  Women made all the decisions which impacted or could impact upon the family.  Men could voice their opinions on issues but women were not obligated to act upon these opinions.  The oldest woman within the longhouse possessed the right to make decisions on behalf of the entire household. In general practice, she relied upon the advice and recommendations of all women elders residing within the longhouse before formulating her final decisions.

Power  Women held the power of decision-making within the family for at least one very practical reason: the men of the society were generally away from home for great lengths of time, whether for hunting, fishing and gathering expeditions or because of military conflicts with other nations.  It fell upon women to ensure the daily functioning of the family continued.  Women held the power of decision-making for very spiritual and symbolic reasons: the survival of the nation depended upon the survival of the women.  It was the women who gave birth to the nation's succeeding generation. Men were in awe of women because of this ability which they lacked.  Further to this the belief was that the Creator gave life to the nation through women. Women had closer links to the Creator than men and their dominant position within the society reflected this.

Basic Values  The primary concern held by women when deliberating upon issues affecting the family centered upon needs to maintain respect for the Ancestors, preserve harmony within the family, and to ensure the survival of the nation.  In this way decision-making took into account the past, present and future needs of the group.

Politics and Government  Consensus  Political decision-making within many traditional societies, like that of the Iroquoian Confederacy, operated upon a consensus model.  In this model, lengthy and well-considered deliberations were held upon issues requiring group attention.  All group members presented their views upon the issue at hand.  Decisions could not be attempted until all group members were heard from.

Power  Although within traditional Iroquoian society only men held formal political office, they did so as representatives of their households and villages and not as representatives of only themselves.  They did not have the liberty to vote on group issues as they wanted.  The household leaders, the women, selected the men who would hold office and further directed the men as to what they could or could not say in meetings and how they could or could not vote.  In reality, women were the actual political decision- makers with men having the responsibility to carry out these decisions.  It was not uncommon, however, for women to approve of decisions made by certain highly respected and wise men.

Consultation  The political decision-making process was extremely complex.  Consensus on issues had to be obtained from all levels of society.  These levels were from smallest to largest, the family group, the village, the clan (groups of related families), the nation and the confederacy.  Issues affecting the village were relatively easy to resolve, as only a small number of people had to reach agreement or decisions. Issues affecting the nation were also relatively loyal to each other.  The most serious challenges to achieving group consensus occurred at the confederacy level.  The confederacy was comprised of five nations. Although they were bound to each other through political and kin-group ties, each nation prized its independence and self­ sufficiency.

Complications  To complicate matters, Iroquoian tradition was that the Mohawk, Seneca and Onondaga nations were "the elder brothers" of the confederacy.  Although each of the nations held a place of equality within the circle of the confederacy, in practice the opinions and ideals of "the elder brothers" had a bit more authority than that of the Oneida and Cayuga.  The Tuscarora, although adopted into the confederacy during the mid-1700s were viewed as "junior members" of the group, with only a small amount of influence.

Dissent Harmony & Safety  If consensus was reached upon an issue, all group members were expected to abide by the group's ruling.  Freedom of dissent was a fundamental value within the society and individuals could decide to ignore group rulings.  This was allowed by the group only as long as the individual did not disrupt the harmony within the group and did nothing to place the safety of the group in jeopardy.

Harmony & Safety Over Dissent  If consensus was not reached upon an issue, no action would be taken upon that issue and a group ruling would not be sought. To avoid bitterness and dissension within the group based upon conflicting viewpoints, an issue would not even be discussed in a full-group meeting unless there appeared to be a reasonable chance of achieving consensus upon it.  Issues which did not receive consensus were either left to be resolved at a later date or were simply forgotten about.  In practice, all group members resolved such issues for themselves and subsequently acted upon their decisions. The fundamental rule was that the harmony and safety of the group must always be upheld.