The Marriage Process Of The Mohawk's Marriage Ceremonies

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Marriage Ceremonies

Marriage ceremonies are held to the highest traditional standards in the six Iroquois nations, specifically the Mohawk. A marriage signifies a lifelong relationship and there is no end. There are no Mohawk customs for the notion of divorce. Mohawk nations believe in a matrilineal society. In this society the woman is the head of the household and highly respected by her husband and family. The marriage process of the Mohawk nations includes seven traditional elements; the rite of transformation, arranged marriages, wedding wheel, the longhouse, marriage instruction, marriage questions, marriage baskets, feather dances, and traditions conducted at the end of the ceremony. The transformation into adulthood is an important aspect of starting the marriage process, called the rite of passage. According to life transformation notes, girls will start their transformation during their first moon time; this is known as a menstrual cycle (Brooks 4). Her mother and the other women of her clan conduct the ceremony recognizing her new ability to conceive. To conclude her transformation she must speak intelligently with the women of her clan, also known as aunties. She must pass this …show more content…

The social dance is where the husband and wife lead every dance. Traditionally after the ceremony takes place guests are allowed to speak of the ceremonial events after telling stories about it to the children and they in turn will act it out (Inglish). The couple is now ready to start their new life together as part of the community. Today even though people might move to accommodate their careers they are still expected to maintain their ties with their native community as well as the Council of Chiefs (Inglish). If the couple needs marriage counseling in the future, “they can approach a titleholder that they are both comfortable with” (Brooks 10). A titleholder could be a Clan mother, Faith keeper, or even a

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