Hidden Stories

For years there were statues honouring women, discovered by women determined to look deeply into the history we have not been taught, searching for the origins of how and where all this violence toward women and girls began. Women researchers have looked into the past and discovered a story intentionally kept hidden from us still today. 

I was recently able to listen in on a conference with more than 40 women who have spent their lives searching for the history of women, researching the stories of women through the ages and on through to today. They were undoing the narrative we have been taught almost universally, that men have always been in control, made the rules, considered to be the most intelligent and accepted as the most dominant beings, while women were meant to obey. 

Hidden from these stories that we have been taught through history books and repeated orally, information passed on to us as "the way it was", these women researchers have committed their lives to uncovering and discovering what in the 1970’s many of us began to call our herstory. Our stories of women. 

The conference opened with music and a ceremonial circle of stones and water, a candle burning in the centre. It was dedicated to keeping known the life and work of Marija Gimbutas of Lithuania, born January 23, 1921 who lived until February 23, !994, and in memory of the recent death of another researcher many of us have learned from, Carol Christ of the US, born December 20,1945 and who died July 14, 2021, having for many years been deeply studying Greece. 

I became aware at that conference of how many brilliant women have dedicated their lives to uncovering the stories of women throughout time, and of women who were and are currently  leaders of Indigenous societies who honour and protect this Earth, communities in which women's leadership is respected. This three day conference took us back to 8000 bce. I have always been hungry for this knowledge. I was astounded at what these women have collected and documented over time. 

When I was young I did not believe that only men had invented things. I knew from learning about Indigenous cultures that many women are and have long been respected leaders in their communities. I have known that many women have been researching and documenting for years the untold stories of accomplishments and leadership of women throughout time. I have known for a long time that much of women's brilliance and accomplishments are still hidden or attributed to, literally stolen by men. I have been aware that women historians were documenting herstory, and that they were finding ways to make the truth known.

The conference covered information that we are not taught in school. I had never heard of Marija Gimbutas and of her extensive work documenting societies throughout time led by women, all people respected, all an equal part of the community. Proof of villages in which everyone had homes, in which there was peaceful and egalitarian existence. These communities are recorded in ancient Lithuanian, a language connected to Sanskrit, and the stories by her grandmother and other women still passed down, generation to generation. We have been taught the histories of wars, but not of the egalitarian societies that existed, communities in which the earth was seen as a mother. Proof of centuries of humans living in peace with egalitarian relationships between the sexes, evident in burial sites that honoured everyone. 

In these matrilineal societies men were not oppressed or suppressed. It was not a reversal of male submissiveness to female authority. There were queen priestesses and councils of women honouring nature, and birth. What we have been taught since is that women’s leadership is myth. 

The researchers described finding information from the past, times before patriarchy drawn onto pottery, carved into stone walls showing ceremony with women leaders prominent. The discovery of part of Eastern Europe that had no fighting for 5000 years. Thousands of years of communities in harmony with nature. Descriptions of the connection between the return to stewarding the earth and respect of the leadership of women. The evidence of patriarchal men on horseback bringing war that has lasted 10,000 years.

In the 1970s many universities developed "women's studies courses” that brought research and teaching of these discoveries. We were encouraged to bring forward  and make known these images shown through art and stories through music, the love and respect people had for each other, the respect for nature, the interconnections of art and music that people created together, societies in which every member was cherished, that this is not myth, that these are documented stories intentionally hidden from us. Ancient stories are linked to the work indigenous medicine women continue to do, offering ceremonies, stories of shamans who could heal people on the brink of death, patterns woven into baskets of women without shame, hands to breasts. Rock art with women naked and respected, women birthing and assisting each other in birthing, women in ceremonial dress and in ceremonial dance - and rock art that has documented the patriarchal takeover. 

I learned how in Turkey the divine feminine became taboo, the goddess banners in Argentina were burned, women's authority questioned. How temples to the gods were built literally onto the heads of goddess statues, how ancient Sumeria once with a goddess queen became a patristic society 6000 years ago, how thousands of years ago through burial sites and archeological digging it has been known that for long periods of time every individual was equally respected, everyone had homes, societies in which there was peaceful and egalitarian existence. Communities in which no one was left behind. Communities living in harmony with the earth. I remember learning bits and pieces of this when I was young, and was mocked for asking about it “So you want to go back to the stone age?” Communities recorded in ancient Lithuanian, a language connected to Sanskrit. We have been widely taught the histories of wars but not of societies in which the earth is considered a mother. Proof of centuries of humans living in peace with egalitarian relationships between the sexes, evident in burial sites that honoured everyone, individually and equally respected. 

In these matrilineal societies where women were not oppressed or suppressed, it was not a reversal of males submissiveness to female authority. The leadership of women was welcome. There were queen priestesses and councils of women, honouring nature and birth. What we have been taught since is that these stories are myths. Our women archaeologists have proven otherwise.

The researchers describe finding information from the past, times before patriarchy, through designs on pottery, carved into stone walls with women leaders prominent. The discovery of part of Eastern Europe that showed no fighting for 5000 years. Years of communities in harmony with nature. The origins and evidence of patriarchal men on horses bringing war that has lasted 10,000 years. Descriptions of the connection between the return to stewarding the earth and the respect of women, still evident today in Indigenous cultures. 

In the 1970s in many universities in my country, women's studies were developed to allow for research and teaching of these hidden stories. We were encouraged to bring forward these images showing through art and music the love and respect people had for each other, the respect for nature, the societies in which every member was cherished, and that this was not a myth, that these are documented stories, stories intentionally kept hidden from us. Ancient stories were linked to the work Indigenous medicine women continue to do – offering ceremonies, creating healing energy. Stories of shamans healing people on the edge of death. Rock art with women naked and respected and women in ceremonial dress. Patterns woven into blankets and baskets of women with hands to breasts. Rock art of women with drums.

And then art documentation of the take over.

It was described how in Turkey the divine feminine became taboo, in Argentina the goddess banners were burned, women's authority questioned, punished, silenced. Temples to the gods were built literally over the heads of goddess statues, stories of the takeoverhow the goddess queen of ancient Sumaria was vanished for a patristic society 6000 years ago. We know through burial sites that thousands of years ago every individual was equally respected. 

My hope is that as I bring what I have been finally learning, that others here will share the precious and important bits and pieces that you have also discovered, perhaps even been taught, about times, places and ways in which women were and are considered respected leaders in our communities throughout time and now.

It is thanks to our herstorians that we know the importance of the leadership of women throughout time, and that peace is possible.