Gender Studies

Seminar Questions
Mimi Jimmy

Who is Your Mother? Red Roots of White Feminism

Paula Gunn Allen

1.1 “…your mother’s identity is the key to your own identity” (p. 889 par. 1).
What does she mean by this?

1.2 In my tribe, Okanagan Nation, it is our family that others identify us as. When I
introduce myself it is not just my name. In my introduction I say my name, my nation,
my mother and her maiden name, and if they still can’t place me in the family I belong to
then I claim my father and grandparents as well. In Native society, I am not only an
individual like in American society but I also carry on the lineage and prestige of my
family.

1.3 “But naming your own mother (or her equivalent) enables people to place you
precisely within the universal web of your life, in each of its dimensions: cultural,
spiritual, personal, and historical” (p. 889-890 par. 1).

1.4 By naming your mother it lets others, who are knowledgeable about your tribe,
identify your place in your family and the tribe.

Naming your mother identifies which tribe you are from and the area it is located which
gives your traditional culture. It tells people what language you speak, what food you eat
and how you eat it.

Naming your mother lets people know how you fall into the tribe spiritually whether your
family is a healing family, traditional family or carry a lineage of chiefs.

Naming your mother says whether you personally carry your family name honorably and
that even you are an individual your actions still impact the way others look at your
family as a whole.

Naming your mother lets other people know you through the history of your family. It is
if your family has a good name or not and what other families you are related to through
marriage. Naming your mother tells others the lineage of mothers before.

I had volunteered at an Elder’s dinner back home in Penticton BC. I was preparing the
coffee and tea and an Elder asked me who I was. I told her my name, that I was from
there and my mother. She still didn’t know who I was and I told her my mother’s father,
my grandfather, and then she recognized me and the family I belonged to. She said she
was happy to meet me and that I had a good family name. Before she told me I had a
good family name, I had no idea that I carried so much on my shoulders. I had always
done whatever I wanted and didn’t care about the consequences of my actions. Since then
I had carried myself in a good way so that someday my son will be told that he has a
good family name.
 Gender Studies
Seminar Questions
Mimi Jimmy

2.1 Why is it that Americans choose to forget their past rather than remember and learn
from it?

2.2 I think that the first wave of settlers that came from Europe, were looking for the
“American Dream” and that they were looking to escape a life they thought could be
better in the US.

I also think that they don’t like to remember what they had done to the Native Americans
because it is a shameful unjust past and that if they did acknowledge it, someone would
have to take responsibility for the past actions of the U.S. government. Acknowledgement
and responsibility is being called for today.

2.3 “America does not seem to remember that it derived its wealth, its values, its food,
much of its medicine, and a large part of its ‘dream’ from Native America. It is ignorant
of the genesis of its culture in this Native American land, and that ignorance helps to
perpetuate the longstanding European and Middle Eastern monotheistic, hierarchical,
patriarchal cultures’ oppression of women, gays, and lesbians, people of color, working
class, unemployed people, and the elderly” (p. 891 par.1)

genesis: the origin or coming into being of something

monotheistic: the doctrine or belief that there is but one God

2.4 I think this quote is saying that the origin of the American culture had been influenced
by Native Americans. I really do think that the early Americans would not have survived
if the Natives didn’t share the knowledge of the land, food and plants and weather.

By ignoring this history, American society is claiming full success in colonizing, creating
and surviving early America. It has created the Euro-centric history with many hidden
histories shoved under the rug.

It also helps U.S. not take responsibility of “civilizing the savages.” If you don’t
acknowledge the actions or responsibility then you don’t have to apologize and there are
no repercussions. (p. 894 par. 3)

I do think that Americans have learned from their history. They have learned that if they
keep the patriarchal system of European and Middle Eastern cultures then it is easy, if not
okay, for oppression of “other” people who are not part of the dominant mainstream
society.
 Gender Studies
Seminar Questions
Mimi Jimmy

3.1 “Failure to know your mother, that is, your position and its attendant traditions,
history, and place in the scheme of things, is failure to remember your significance, our
reality, your right to relationship to earth and society” (p. 890 par. 1)

How important is our past, our ancestry to our present and future lives? Do you
agree/disagree with the author? (p. 890- 891 par. 5)

3.2 Failure to know your mother is to not know your relationship to others. Not knowing
your mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, etc, is not understanding them and
where they fall into history and failure to know this is failure to know yourself.

If you don’t know how you fall into history and how you came to be then you can’t fully
know yourself. This is your position and its attendant traditions and history.

Knowing the family that came before you shows you how you fit into the puzzle; it is
your “place in the scheme of things.”

Learning from and about your mothers is learning “your right relationship to earth and
society” because they teach you how respect. Respect for mother earth and respect for
others.

3.3 “It is the same as being lost-isolated, abandoned, self-estranged, and alienated from
your own life” (p. 890 par.1)

“The Native American view, which highly values maintenance of traditional customs,
values, and perspectives, might result in slower societal change and in quite a bit less
social upheaval, but it has the advantage of providing a solid sense of identity and
lowered levels of psychological and interpersonal conflict” (p.890 par. 3)

estranged 1 : to remove from customary environment or associations

2 : to arouse especially mutual enmity or indifference in where there had formerly been
love, affection, or friendliness :
p. 890 par. 5

biota: the flora and fauna of a region

flora 1 : a treatise on or list of the plants of an area or period

2 : plant or bacterial life; especially : such life characteristic of a region, period, or special
environment <fossil flora> <intestinal flora> -- compare FAUNA

fauna: animal life; especially : the animals characteristic of a region, period, or special
environment -- compare FLORA
 Gender Studies
Seminar Questions
Mimi Jimmy

3.4 Mothers teach the ways of life. If they fail to teach us or we fail to learn then we don’t
know our traditional heritage and culture which means we can become lost and isolated
within.
If mothers fail to teach or we fail to learn then we can feel abandoned, self- estranged and
alienated from our own lives. If we don’t learn and keep the history and origin of our
mothers then we cannot fully understand how and where we came from.

I do agree that American Society would benefit from traditional Native American Culture
and values.
Native American culture includes hope; hope for the survival of the people and women
are the life givers and so then are honored and respected. Without our women we would
be nothing.
Native American culture values charity. No person goes without. If a visitor comes to
your house, you offer them something to eat. Even if it is the last piece of food in your
kitchen, you still share that last piece of food with visitors. At family dinners the children
and elders are served first and if there is enough food the women are served next then the
men eat.
Respect is HUGE in our culture. From an early age, you learn to respect your elders.
Elders are the ones who are full of knowledge and the cultural traditions. They are the
ones who can teach us who we are and where we came from and how we got here.

Respect for women because without our women we wouldn’t have people and we
wouldn’t have our warriors.

Respect for our men because they are the protectors of the survival of our people.

Respect for our children for they are the future generations and the future of our people.

Respect for mother earth for she is the one who cares for us all: she gives us the
sustenance for life.

Respect for the passed aways, the ancestors of all peoples. Without our ancestors and all
of the struggles and sacrifices they made to survive and for the survival of the people; we
wouldn’t be here today.

Our ancestors (ancestry) provided our literal lives today and our actions and the way we
live our lives will affect future generations and their lives for the good or bad.
(ex. global warming)

If American society could follow and actually live these logical and simple values of
Native American culture there would be much less room for oppression of peoples and of
the earth. People wouldn’t be starving or homeless. Elders would be taken care of with
respect and not shoved in old folk’s homes to be forgotten, seen as useless and taken care
of by strangers. With respect it is hard to look someone in the eyes and step on them on
the way up the ladder of success.