“Assaulting the Ears of Government”

In the summer of 1945, Indian Homemakers' Clubs from southern Ontario congregated in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory for their first annual convention. The gathering marked eight years of the Clubs' existence in Canada and signaled a significant era of First Nations women's cultural and political activity. Six years later in September 1951, some 300 Maori women gathered in Wellington, New Zealand, to attend the inaugural conference of the Maori Women's Welfare League. Focusing on the formative years of the Clubs and the League (the late 1930s to the 1960s), this chapter explores some of the key activities of the two organizations. In addition to local activities, each organization coordinated efforts on a broader scale, including developing their constitutions and hosting regional conventions in Canada and national conferences in New Zealand. At all levels, members organized activities and discussion that reflected the priorities of the groups themselves including their concerns about the state. The analysis of the constitutions and meetings shows that indigenous women were active participants in workable (though often strained) relationships with the Departments of Indian and Maori Affairs.