The necklace on the left shows a clan symbol for the Turtle Clan.

    While mostly men rule America, the women in the Iroquois Nations had much of the power.  An elder, respected woman in the family was the clan mother.  A clan is a group of people that live and work together.  You would belong to your mother’s clan.  When a man got married he went to live with his wife’s clan.  The most common names for the clans were Wolf, Turtle, and Bear.                  

         The clan mother had a lot of responsibilities.  She decided which men she wanted to be on councils.  Naming children was another job.  She also had to approve of the marriages.  The clan mother had a lot of important decisions to make.