Women Voted in New York – before Christopher Columbus’ voyage!
A talk by scholar Sally Roesch Wagner on the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) women and their legacy.
Women of the Six Nation Iroquois Confederacy (the Haudenosaunee) had the responsibility of putting in place the male leaders and removing from office anyone who didn’t make wise decisions for the future. They were economically independent. Committing violence against a woman kept a man from becoming Chief in this egalitarian, gender-balanced society. When women in New York State began to organize for their rights in 1848, they took their cue from the nearby Haudenosaunee communities.
The 2017 centennial of woman suffrage in New York State opens the opportunity to explore this new – yet very old – and unknown history of our region. The format of the talk is an informal story-telling presentation.
