bttbjournal

prettydancer · Joined: 17 Oct 2007 Posts: 29 Location: new york

What was the average amount of kids that women had?

I notices when you see old family photos in books or read about famous Native people in history; there aren't the huge families like you see in some parts of the world, and this was before birth control. How do you explain it?

Day · Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 4:44 pm Post subject:

Forgive me for taking so long to answer, but I just found this post. I used the feature that shows "unanswered posts". I ask everyone to take a look at the unanswered posts, and respond to them when you have time.
Sorry again to those whose words may have been overlooked.

Speaking for the Tsalagi people, there were various means that kept a greater space between pregnancies than in the White women of the time, who had large families and often died in childbirth.

First, nursing a child would prevent pregnancy in the old days. It may still work in some natural, traditional societies but it is not a guarantee for today. Traditional people were in harmony with the natural effects of the sun and moon, there was very little or no light as they slept so they had excellent seratonin levels. Women's bodies responded to the natural effects of the full and new moons. They were not eating meat pumped full of estrogen, the food wasn't being sprayed with estrogen-mimicking pesticides.

In addition, there were times when couples refrained from sex. There was no sexual contact during a woman's moon time, in fact, women slept in the asi during this time. (It seems obvious to us, but today's Yonega society encourages sex at all times.)

Men who were about to go to war did not have sexual contact with their wives before leaving, and on returning from war they slept in the council house for a month to be spiritually purified from killing or being around the dead. Wounded men remained away until their wounds were healed.

Couples were abstinate when the sacred ceremonies were being performed.

There were also times when men were away on hunting trips, possibly for a couple of weeks, while women remained in the towns.

I've heard that certain medicine people versed in herbalism knew of herbal abortifants but these were used sparingly under their supervision and probably when the health of the mother was at stake.

Because of the clan system and extended family, a woman would not feel the same overwhelming burden of child rearing that many women in the Yonega culture experience. The extended family provided grandmothers and grandpas; aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers as well as a larger group of clanspeople who assisted with the raising and training of the children. We really lived the proverb that Hillary Clinton has mocked, "It takes a village to raise a child". Aunts were also called "mother".

This is what I was told, Grandfather Cheerakee may have more to share.

cheerakeee · Joined: 21 Aug 2007 Posts: 41

Sister Day: I just came across the ref. to me in the women's circle: yes All you have conveyed IS true and i could add more! BUT i defer to the women's council and their voices, views ,concerns and OUR future (besides a MALE"s voice/energy /essence should not make it's presence felt here)----Cheerakeee
_________________
Legal Cherokee Indian

prettydancer · Joined: 17 Oct 2007 Posts: 29 Location: new york

Thanks Sister Day and Grandfather Cheerakee! I forgot about this question but I'm glad to get the answer, lol!