Which role do clan mothers have in Haudenosaunee governance?

• A. They oversee military leadership
• B. They record wampum belts
• C. They manage land distribution among families
• D. They select and depose sachems and influence succession decisions

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is understanding who holds the power to choose and remove leaders in Haudenosaunee governance. Clan mothers, respected female elders from the clans, have the authority to nominate sachems (the male leaders) and to depose them if they don’t fulfill their responsibilities or violate the Great Law of Peace. They also influence who will succeed current leaders, shaping the leadership through succession decisions. This reflects the matrilineal structure and the checks and balances in Haudenosaunee government, where women’s councils oversee leadership and hold leaders accountable.

Military leadership and warfare are typically tied to the sachems and wartime councils, not the clan mothers. Wampum belts are important records and diplomacy tools, kept and used by elders for ceremonial and treaty purposes, rather than being the exclusive domain of clan mothers. Land matters in Haudenosaunee practice are governed by the confederacy’s laws and stewardship principles, not allocated by clan mothers to individual families.