The Tsimshian of the Pacific Northwest Coast-Group #4: Women's Status in Tsimshian Society

Geographic Information

Thousands of years ago the Tsimshian lived on the upper reaches of the Skeena River near present-day Hazelton BC. However, a series of disasters occurred and some of the Tsimshian, led by a prince, had to migrate away to the coast, where they founded Kitkatla, one the oldest continually inhabited communities on Earth. Later on, other Tsimshian chiefs then migrated down the river and began to occupy all the lands of the lower Skeena valley. Now, the Tsimshian communities are located in multiple places such as: British Columbia and Alaska, around Terrace and Prince Rupert and the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island.

Background Information

Over the course of migrating, the Tsimshian established a new dialect and distinctively considered themselves as a population, all while sharing the customs/rights of their kin from the upper Skeena. The approximation of the number of Tsimshian people back then were around 10,000. In 1862, the smallpox epidemic hit the Tsimshian people and annihilated many of them, as well as a few future epidemics. A while later, the head chiefs led the process of assimilation to become what the White colonists are, and so they adopted the culture, religion and language. However, the Tsimishian did go back to their tradition in the 1970s. A century before that, the people requested a settlement, but then later became a reservation in Alaska, under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, which still goes on today.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Women's Status in Tsimshian Society

Tsimshian society was primarily matrilineal, with evidence of women often holding positions of authority and autonomy within their clans if they were the leaders of wealthy families. A possible explanation for women holding a role such as chief or head of household is the frequent trading or raiding missions in which men would be absent for long periods of time. There is some variation in practices between different clans of the Tsimshian but it is generally not uncommon for women to step into the position of chief of a town when there is no rightful male to assume the role; sometimes they “acquired men's names, a practice that persists today” (520).

Women and men were allowed independent ownership of personal property and resources that belonged to them and their lineage. There is some dispute over the ownership of resources in marriage; according to the work of Viola E. Garfield the resources and means of production of the woman became a part of the husband's lineage. If they separated or she was widowed her resources were returned to her lineage. An opposing view presented by Albert P. Niblack and William Duncan suggests that married women were economically independent of their husbands, because they had the right to own the resources of their lineage.

An important example of the autonomy of women in Tsimshian society is their economic and property rights over slave labor, and sexual independence. Control over the production and distribution of resources allowed women to secure social and economic rights because of the influence over the society that their control implied. Wealthy female family leaders often owned slave lovers or sexual freedom; “women regarded as lucky cohabited with hunters, often with their husbands' encouragement as they were amply rewarded for their services” (517). As with the property of their own lineage and their husband, Tsimshian women had complete control over slave labor to buy and sell as they pleased.

These are examples of tools used for activities mainly delegated to males of the Tsimshian society, and products such as baskets created primarily by women in Tsimshian society.
Images retrieved from: http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/aborig/tsimsian/traintre.shtml
accessed on 14 April 2014.

References:

Colonization and the Decline of Women's Status: The Tsimshian Case.

1991. Feminist Studies. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3178288 accessed 26 March 2014.

3 comments:

UnknownMarch 27, 2014 at 11:59 AM
It is an interesting fact that women in the Tsimshian society have much more authority and influence in the clan culture. Even despite differing opinions of whether they retain ownership or personal property in marriage or surrender it to their husband's lineage, women have a major role. Unlike many cultures where women are restricted to rearing children and production of food there is significant evidence showing them in leadership roles and as the primary traders of their communities.
It would be interesting to see how the Tsimshian clans operate currently, how they have adapted to rapid globalization and widespread advanced technology. I am sure that would affect how each of the necessary roles of a society are filled and therefore affect women's place in the culture.
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UnknownMarch 28, 2014 at 7:26 AM
Hey Matthew,
Good job. I want you to be prepared to talk a bit more about the anthropological approach. In this case, you may cite examples from class about gender roles, and changes to traditional societies. I talked about the Awajun quite a bit. I am thinking, if you are going to talk about this in class, it would be great to incorporate class material there.
Like I told you on Thursday, you will need to work on the articulation with the group, so you all show consistency in your presentation and here on the blog too. You still need to work on the references, as most of you here in this group, but you all should talk, see what is missing, look at the comments I made, together.
Thanks
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UnknownApril 14, 2014 at 6:21 PM
Matthew,
I am still holding those comments I previously made as valid and important for your evaluation. Please, look at my previous comments. Also, your references, as those of all your group mates, need to add when they were accessed at the end. Look at the slides I posted and the AAA Style Guide. One final comments, and do share it with Karisa and the other folks too: there seems to be a rich diversity of fonts and sizes when you post. Is there a way to make it all consistent for aesthetic reasons? This is something you should all look into, BUT, tonight concentrate on your delivery tomorrow, and after class, you can all work on this. I will do my final evals tomorrow evening. Thanks
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