Now, as Williams makes history and power shifts back toward women, she hopes to steer the tribe in a direction that balances economic prosperity with cultural traditions. It wasn’t until 1980 that the tribe had its first female council member. Still, the influx of Christianity and white European influences brought about a shift toward a more male-dominated system of government. Women were highly regarded as key decision-makers, and children inherited their clan membership through their mothers - a tradition that has continued.

… Things always come full circle.”īefore facing encroachment from European settlers during the 18th century, both the Alabama and the Coushatta tribes operated as matrilineal and matriarchal societies, similar to other Indigenous tribes.

“We were a matriarchal society at one time. “To me what this represents is not a step forward, but things coming full circle,” said Nita Battise, vice chair of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribal Council and a distant cousin of Williams. Her leadership coincides with the first time that the tribal council is made up predominantly of women, not men. Williams’ ascension to power follows a string of family tragedies that left her widowed - but comes at an opportune moment for women of her tribe. The second chief, along with the principal chief, acts as an ambassador of the tribe and provides cultural advice to the tribal council and key tribal committees. On New Year’s Day, Williams, 66, was inaugurated as second chief of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, becoming the first woman elected to the post in the tribe’s over-200-year history. Now, 60 years later, Williams recalls those memories fondly and realizes they are no longer the things of daydreams. “We’re going to say no to everything they say!” Williams would tell Battise, who laughed along and continued the charade.

It was a true fantasy for the two girls growing up during the 1960s, when the seven-member governing body of their tribe was made up entirely of men. LIVINGSTON - When Millie Thompson Williams and her cousin Myra Battise were growing up, they’d play make-believe underneath a canopy of pine trees in the Big Thicket National Preserve, pretending to be tribal council members.

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