Jikonsaseh
Jikonsaseh
- Alternate spellings include Jigonhsasee, Jigöhsahsë, and Jikonsase.
- Exact birth and death dates are unknown and vary greatly, with estimates of her life between 1142 and 1600.
- She lived along the warriors’ path across the area that would become New York State.
“Mother of Nations.” Cofounder of the Iroquois Confederacy.
We can’t think of a more fitting (or cooler) title for Jikonsaseh than “Mother of Nations,” since she basically created the mold for women’s equality. Working closely with Hiawatha and another man called the Great Peacekeeper, she not only helped unify the fractured tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy, but she and her partners established the rights and responsibilities of male and female leadership roles.
While there are gender-distinct roles of leadership divided between women and men, women have equal responsibility in Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) society. The Seneca Tribe’s matrilineal social order helped inspire the 1848 Declaration of Sentiments, a document that was written centuries later and would eventually lead to women’s right to vote. Furthermore, the Iroquois Confederacy was a major influence on the United States Constitution.
Learn more about Jikonsaseh
Jikonsaseh and her people’s culture is preserved and celebrated at the Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, New York. The museum has several exhibits documenting the history of the Iroquois/Haudenosunee people and many events throughout the year.
Additionally, part of an exhibit in the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum in Salamanca, NY is dedicated to Jikonsaseh.
